


born in a thunderstorm

by shirozora



Series: the worst AUs I ever wrote [1]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, M/M, What Have I Done, before anything else you have to read the notes, the worst AU I ever wrote, you really need to read the notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2020-11-08 02:30:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 68,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20827916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shirozora/pseuds/shirozora
Summary: Kevin Riley insists that James Kirk didn't die on Tarsus IV. Nobody believes him.





	1. An Incident

**Author's Note:**

>   

> 
> ***** READ ME FIRST *****
> 
>   

> 
> **Rest of the Fandoms:** Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, Thor Movies  
**Rest of the Characters:** Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Nebula, Mantis, Valkyrie/Brunnhilde, Loki, Hela, Yon-Rogg, Minn-Erva, Korath, Bron-Char, Att-Lass, Ronan the Accuser, Heimdall, Hogun, Yondu, I hope I didn't forget anybody else, and featuring Nicholas J. Fury, Thor & Ambassador Spock  
**Rest of the Additional Tags:** I know what I did and I'm sorry but not really, I really fucking went there, nothing is safe from my grubby hands, I sure as fuck wrote a Star Trek fic in the year of our nightmares 2019, I am WELL FUCKING AWARE OF WHAT I DID, in the same vein as "I wrote a Tron/MCU/Transformers barista AU" and "I tried to write a Tron/Princess Bride AU" and also "I wrote a Dragon Age/Mummy AU" so honestly this isn't very surprising
> 
> Yes I know, _I know_ how this looks. Captain Marvel the movie has a very specific place in this hellscape of a cultural zeitgeist and my intention is to not transfer her story to the shoulders of a white dude whose time has come and gone. I just had a fucking dumbass idea about George Kirk and Thor and the BKT in Marvel Strike Force, fucking ran with it, and decided I put too much time and effort into this nonsense to stick to the original plan of locking it up in Dreamwidth. This is why the only official tags are the Star Trek tags. I am not interested in letting this get out of control.
> 
> I sure as fuck circled back to Star Trek on the 10-year anniversary of AOS's debut. I'm just so _tired_ of the things I'd been consuming so I spent this entire year writing exclusively AOS fics in a sad attempt to recapture that nostalgic spirit. Apparently this is also the first fic I'm posting this year and it's almost October, which is saying something.
> 
> If you're still interested in this ridiculous story, then happy reading. If not, that's fine, I understand. I'm just posting it here for peace of mind.

The mission is straightforward. Uncomplicated. The USS Enterprise is bringing supplies to the Cerberus colony in the Cerberus system. The away team will beam down to meet Governor Mendoza and the administrators, receive reports on the colony's progress, transfer the supplies, and provide medical assistance if necessary. The Enterprise is scheduled to be in orbit for five days, plenty of time for the crew to enjoy some shore leave.

It is precisely because the mission is straightforward that Leonard McCoy can't stop thinking that something will go spectacularly wrong. Such is the Enterprise's luck; her maiden voyage was historic and her first year in service is earning her a reputation as a magnet for trouble. Leonard's been there for every step of it since he inherited the ship's medbay.

He has twenty minutes to report to the transporter room. He checks his equipment for the fifth time, gives his final instructions to Geoff and Christine, and leaves the medbay. He takes the lift and strides down the hall to the transporter room.

"Hey, Sawbones!"

Leonard whirls around with a scowl. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

Gary Mitchell raises his hands in surrender while sauntering over. "Sorry, Doc. Old habits die hard, you know."

"You never had it," he replies. That nickname's been dead since '51. He still doesn't know how Mitchell found out. "What did you do now?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Mitchell says, falling in step with him. "I'm just seeing you off. Isn't that what friends do?"

"I suppose," Leonard says warily. An obnoxious Mitchell means he's about to say something absolutely _nobody else_ should know anything about. Leonard's lost track of all the times he considered breaking doctor-patient confidentiality to take a peek at Mitchell's files. The man has to be half-Betazoid, he's sure of it. "What is it this time?"

"So quick to accuse. You're too suspicious, Doc. Who hurt you?"

Leonard arches an eyebrow. "We’ve been at the Academy for three years together and you already forgot?"

"That's not what I mean," Mitchell says, suddenly serious. "Last year was… really hard, but you came back even grouchier than usual. Like something happened while we sat around waiting for Command to decide what to do with the Enterprise."

"Nothing happened," Leonard says. "Just a lot of nightmares and a lot of drinking, and it wasn't just me dealing with it. End of story."

Mitchell stares at him for too long, then shrugs. "All right. I won't push. Just so you know, I think you'll find what you're looking for. Can't say what, how, or when. I just know it."

Leonard stops outside the transporter room with a frown. "Thanks, I think."

"Anytime," Mitchell says, slaps his shoulder, and strolls away.

Leonard huffs, shakes his head, and enters the transporter room. Pavel Chekov, the resident genius and chief navigator, is at the controls instead of Doohan. Hikaru Sulu is also here, so Mitchell was on his way to the bridge to take the helm. Kevin Riley, a junior navigator, is obsessing over his tricorder. Nyota Uhura is leaning against the console, staring at her PADD. Leonard sidles over to her and arches an eyebrow at her attire.

"I know," she says without looking up. "Your 'friend' suggested I wear trousers. Wish I could pretend he doesn't exist but he hasn't given me bad advice yet."

"That's Gary for you," Leonard says. "Where's everybody else?"

"On their way." She glances around the room, then leans in. "Apparently, Cerberus hasn't checked in at the twenty-four hour mark. They're doing another planetary scan before beaming us down."

Leonard frowns. "Don't like the sound of that."

"It might be nothing," she says.

"With our luck?"

She laughs. "Fair. But the Cerberus system isn't known for trouble. The only recent event on record was the crop failures that one year but thanks to Carter Winston and the Tarsus protocols, the colony survived. I think the governor just forgot to check the time."

Leonard gives her trousers another pointed look. "Yet Gary told you to ditch the skirt."

"Gary says a lot of things," Uhura replies. "Did you see him? Did he say anything?"

"Yeah, and it's a whole lot of nothing," Leonard says. "Pretty sure he's spouting bullshit just to mess with me. He knows how I get before an away mission."

She shakes her head. "Why are you his friend again?"

Leonard opens his mouth but the rest of the away team enters the transporter room and he snaps it shut.

"At ease, everyone," Captain Christopher Pike says when everyone jumps to attention. "Cerberus missed the twenty-four hour mark but it's only been twenty-five and a half hours. A sweep of the planet showed no signs of trouble. That means we're good to go. For the next forty-eight hours, Mr. Scott is in charge of the Enterprise. Wish him luck."

He gestures to the away team and they hop up onto the transporter pads. Uhura leaves Leonard's side to ask Spock a question, who shrugs and says something to the effect of, "It will be fine."

Leonard takes position next to Riley and glances around. Nobody seems concerned with this slight hitch in the schedule. Pike, Spock, and Uhura are probably right and he's over-thinking it. It's Mitchell's fault for throwing him off-kilter, he decides. He’s giving the man a piece of his mind when he gets back.

"Punch it, Mr. Chekov," Pike says.

* * *

The air smells bitter and wrong. There's smoke in the sky and smoldering rubble in the streets. Blast marks and blood splatter paint the ground. No one is here to greet the away team or even scream a warning. Sirens wail in the distance, louder than Pike's command to set phasers to stun.

"What happened?" Sulu says, bewildered. "This didn't show up on the scans."

"No," Spock agrees. "All readings were normal… unless something interfered with the scanners and gave us false information. We should have been able to detect-"

"Discuss it later, gentlemen," Pike says. "Let's move. Search for survivors."

The away team cautiously moves through the streets toward the town square where they were supposed to meet with the governor. Leonard clutches his phaser tightly while taking point. He glances at Riley and frowns at the young man’s wide-eyed terror and crumbling composure.

Riley notices him staring. "I don't—I don't like the smell."

"Me neither, kid," he replies. "Focus on Spock and Sulu. They know what to do. They snuck onto the Narada, remember?"

Riley nods and some of the fear leaves his eyes.

They reach the town square where streets converge in front of the administrative buildings, and Leonard realizes the smell isn't just from the bombed buildings. Many of the bodies in the streets were scorched by the fires and the smell is disgusting. A more curious sight are the civilians felled by energy weapons of unknown make. He kneels to examine a body while others reposition themselves to cover him.

"That injury was not made by a phaser," Spock observes over Leonard's shoulder.

"No, it was not," he replies grimly while checking his tricorder's readings. "It's not anything I ever saw."

Uhura clenches her jaw at his announcement. "There were no reports of unusual activity in the system and I intercepted no communications on any known frequency. I don't know how-"

"Not your fault, lieutenant," Pike says grimly. "We need to find Mendoza."

Riley calls out from several meters away. "Captain, I found him! I mean, he's wearing the same clothes from our last communication with him but, uh, I don't…."

They jog over to Riley and look down at the body at Riley’s feet. Uhura covers her mouth and Leonard nearly drops his tricorder.

"What the hell is that!" Sulu demands.

The body is wearing Mendoza's clothes but their skin is green, hairless, and textured like reptilian scales. Their ears are pointed like Spock's but larger and curved at the tips. Grooves contour their face, concentrating on their jaw and chin. Empty purple eyes stare up at the Enterprise team.

"Whatever it is, they're not in our databases," Leonard says while passing his scanner over the corpse. "I can't make sense of this. I need to take a sample-"

"That won't be necessary, McCoy," Pike says curtly. "It's in our databases. Just not the ones you have access to."

"What?" Leonard asks while Spock says, "Captain, are you saying you know what this is?"

Pike nodes, mouth a thin line. "I'll explain but first everyone set their phasers to kill. Uhura, hail the Enterprise. Tell Mr. Scott to contact Command immediately and say 'Code Pegasus'. Then we're sweeping through the town and finding survivors. Is that clear?"

Leonard stares at the corpse while others switch their phaser settings. "Captain, what databases don't I have access to?"

"Ones that even I don't know everything about," Pike says. "What you're looking at is a Skrull. They're shape-shifters from another galaxy. That's what they told us, anyway."

"They're from outside the Milky Way?" Spock asks. "How long have we been in contact with them?"

"Decades," Pike replies. "They were refugees fleeing a war. We agreed to take them in and placed them here."

"Sir, you're saying Mendoza was a Skrull this whole time?" Sulu asks while looking at the bodies strewn all over the town square. "Everyone else looks human."

"Most live in settlements all over Cerberus. Everyone living here knows. Let him be, McCoy. We'll come back for him later."

"He made himself look human during our meeting," Spock says while they resume moving across the town square. "If you're aware, then why-"

"You weren't, Spock," the captain says. "If they stayed in their true forms, they'd attract the wrong kind of attention and right now the Federation can't afford it. Uhura, any word from the Enterprise?"

She shakes her head. "Nobody's answering. I tried boosting the signal but nothing's going through."

"But the Enterprise has to know we're in trouble," Sulu says. "If they scan the planet-"

"They'll receive false readings," Spock reminds him. "Whatever attacked this planet did not want anyone to know that they're here."

Every word the Vulcan speaks makes the pit in Leonard's stomach sink even lower. If Uhura can't contact the Enterprise and the ship can't get a proper scan of the planet, then they're trapped here for the next two days with whatever killed all these people.

"But why here?" Riley wonders. "Why attack Cerberus? There's nothing to give the Skrulls away."

"That's what we need to find out-"

There's movement out of the corner of Leonard's eyes and he turns sharply, phaser raised. People step out into the open, armored and carrying rifles. He backs up, treading on Sulu’s feet. 

"They're blue," Uhura whispers.

That pit in Leonard’s stomach wants to drag him to the ground. He stares at the alien invaders, hoping for yet knowing they aren’t blue because they painted themselves as some kind of ritual or cultural practice. His grip on his phaser tightens as one of the intruders separates from the group and approaches.

This one isn’t actually blue-skinned like the others. His skin is a very dark brown and he wears no helm so everyone sees the cybernetic implants on his bald head. His pale blue eyes dart around the away team while he approaches, rifle pointing at Pike’s head.

"Who are you?" he demands. “Identify yourselves!”

Pike steps forward, unwavering. "I'm Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise. I demand to know who you are and why you attacked a Federation colony planet."

"Attacked? No." The leader jerks his head at Mendoza's body. "See that? He's a Skrull. You’re infested with them. You should thank us for exposing them and purging your colony-"

"We know who they are. The Skrulls are with the Federation now, and I’m arresting you for murdering our people on our planet in our space."

The leader laughs incredulously. "Who exactly is going to arrest us? We brought an army and you only have five men."

"My ship is in orbit-"

"So is mine," the leader retorts. "More are on their way. _You_ will be the one under arrest, Captain Christopher Pike, for allowing the Skrulls to live."

Pike doesn't flinch. "The Federation does not recognize nor acknowledge your 'war' against them. The Skrulls have every right to be here, unlike you."

"We have all the right, Terran," the leader snaps. He waves to the nearest soldiers. "Take them away. Tell Ronan that a Federation starship is in orbit-"

There's a loud crack and a soldier topples over. Everyone drops to the ground. More shots fire and three more soldiers fall. A blast shakes the ground, throwing up dust and smoke. Someone somewhere is laughing maniacally.

"You!" the leader screams. "How did you get here!"

Leonard raises his head and looks around wildly, then Sulu shoves him back down as another blast rocks the town square. Then the helmsman drags him to his feet and pushes him forward. "Run!"

Leonard runs across the town square, ducking and dodging gunfire and blasts. Soldiers are shouting and firing at—is that—what is he staring at?"

"Eat shit!" a talking bipedal _raccoon_ shouts while firing a huge blaster rifle at the soldiers from the shoulder of a walking _tree_. "Yeah, how do you like the taste of that!"

Leonard stares, forgetting he's in the middle of a firefight, and something slams into his back. He falls and loses both his tricorder and phaser.

"Here, take it!" Someone shoves the tricorder back in his hands. "Go! We'll watch your back!"

He scrambles to his feet and turns to his rescuer—and almost forgets that he's still in danger because her eyes are huge and her skin is yellow and a pair of antennae is sprouting from her forehead.

"I get that a lot," she says cheerfully. "Go!"

He nods numbly and runs. He spots Sulu and Riley hiding behind a broken wall and throws himself behind it. Sulu is using the wall as cover to shoot the blue-skinned invaders every few seconds. Riley is shaking too much to hold his phaser.

"Riley." Leonard places his hands on top of the navigator's. "Hey, kid. It's okay. It's going to be okay."

"No, it's not," Riley sobs. There are actual tears in his eyes. "It's not, it's not, it's not. I thought I was hallucinating. I thought I was making it up. But I was right, I was-"

"What are you talking about?" Leonard demands. "Hey, come on, snap out of it!"

"Need a little help here," Sulu says loudly. "Doc, take Riley's phaser before he hurts someone or himself."

Leonard slowly eases the weapon out of Riley's hands. "I'm taking this, okay? Keep your head down. We'll get you out of here."

He switches settings and takes position next to Sulu. "Got any ideas?"

"We're outmanned but not outgunned," Sulu says, peeking over the wall. "What the…."

Leonard also raises his head and stares at a brawny bald green alien with red tattoos brawling with several blue-skinned invaders. The alien is _laughing_ while tossing them around. Leonard then finds Uhura hiding behind a pile of rubble, but Spock is out in the open, using a stolen rifle to fend off the invaders. With him is _another_ green-skinned alien, this time someone with hair. Leonard thinks she ought to tie her red hair back but it's clearly not getting in the way of her swinging a _sword_ with one hand and firing a pistol with the other.

"Where's Captain Pike?" Leonard mutters, then ducks when an invader spots them and shoots.

He flinches when the shot hits the wall with a dull thud. Sulu returns fire and then searches the battlefield. "I see him! On your ten! Right there! We need to get him out of here."

Leonard bites off a retort about using lingo from outdated war vids and looks where Sulu is pointing. He sees Pike fighting off three blue-skinned aliens with a rifle; Sulu's shot takes out one of them and then the helmsman leaps over the wall into the open. He dodges fire all the way to Pike's side. Leonard sees an invader rushing Sulu from behind but before he can react, an android tackles the soldier She—and Leonard's certain of his pronoun—snaps the invader’s neck and follows Sulu and Pike back to Leonard and Riley's hiding spot.

"Captain!" Leonard exclaims when Pike sits next to him. The older man is breathing hard and has a wild look in his eyes. Leonard immediately scans him for injuries. "Mostly superficial cuts but I don't like the look of that gash. If I hadn't dropped my kit-"

"I'm fine, leave it. Where are Spock and Uhura?"

"They're over there," the android says, pointing at the pile of rubble Uhura is still hiding behind. "My sister has them."

"Your sister?" Leonard takes another look at the red-haired green-skinned sword-wielding alien and then at the blue and steel-toned android. "You're related?"

"It's complicated," the android grumbles. "Name's Nebula. Need to get you out of here before more Kree arrive."

"Kree?" Sulu asks. "You mean the blue guys?"

"Yes," Pike says and everyone stares at him. "That's what the Skrulls told us. They fought a war with the Kree and lost. That's why they're here."

"You knew," Nebula says suspiciously, "but you didn't bother to secure your planet against them. Idiots. Now that the Kree know the Skrulls are here, they'll never leave."

"We didn't think they'd show up!" Pike exclaims. "I mean, besides that one incident in 2251, nobody thought the Kree would look twice at the Federation."

Leonard frowns. 2251? "The Kree showed up on Earth in '51?"

"Worst place and time to talk about classified information but I can live with the consequences." Pike sits up, then looks over the wall and shoots a _Kree_ invader coming at them. "They were chasing a group of Skrulls through Sol. There was a fight near the Moon and a whole bunch of civilians saw. Had to tell them it was a meteor. The Kree were gone when the Constellation arrived to investigate. Only took fifteen minutes to respond."

Leonard clenches his jaw. He remembers that night well. He peers over the wall at the Kree while the answers to questions from that night slot into place.

Sulu looks beyond annoyed. "If that's true, Captain, then Cerberus never had a chance."

"Your Federation doesn't have any tech that can stop the Kree," Nebula replies. "You were just lucky they didn't look closely. Different story now. If Ronan tells the Supreme Intelligence you're harboring Skrulls, the Empire will come here to purge the system. Then they'll go planet by planet, wiping out every Skrull and Skrull sympathizer they find."

"The hell did the Skrulls ever do to them?" Leonard demands, appalled. He thought he saw it all with Nero's act of genocide against Vulcan over an event that was beyond anyone’s control.

"They refused to submit," Nebula replies simply.

Someone leaps over the wall and crouches next to Nebula. It's the green-skinned woman. "I heard Korath say something about the Helion."

Nebula’s eyes widen. "Shit."

"Yeah. Take them and run. I'll get the others."

"Gamora-"

Someone bellows and everyone looks up. The other green-skinned alien staggers away from the dark-skinned Kree, clutching his side. Before the Kree can land a finishing blow, blaster fire knocks him back. Leonard's eyebrows go straight up to his hairline at the sight of a pale humanoid in a red leather jacket hovering above the town square in what he can only describe as jet boots. Their face is shielded with a metal breathing mask with glowing red goggles; can they not breathe in this atmosphere? They're holding two pistols and firing rapidly at the Kree while the green alien plows a path out of the town square.

Gamora sighs. "I'm going to kill him. Already told Rocket to extract the other two Federation officers. Take these guys and run, Nebula, _now_."

She leaps back over the wall and charges back into the fight while screaming, "Peter! We have to go!"

Leonard points at the humanoid flying around the town square with their jet boots. "His name is Peter?"

"Yeah, and a real pain in the ass," Nebula says. "We’re leaving."

She drags Riley to his feet and they follow the android out of the town square. Leonard looks over his shoulder to see the raccoon and the walking tree shepherd Spock and Uhura away as well. He then looks up at the sky and sees a ship drop out of warp.

"Oh, we are _fucked_," Nebula says. "Let's go!"

He runs faster.

* * *

The rendezvous point is deep in the woods behind Cerberus's main town. Leonard keeps a firm grip on Riley's elbow while following Nebula and Pike through dense alien flora. Sulu brings up the rear, searching through the brush for Kree.

They walk into a quiet clearing. A small starship is nestled in the bluish-green undergrowth; a little more than thrice the size of a shuttlecraft, it's sleek with yellow accents. It’s also been through a lot, if the dents and scorch marks marring the ship’s hull are anything to go by. 

"Wait here," Nebula instructs and strides away.

Everyone looks at each other and then Pike gives a signal. Leonard immediately turns to Riley and starts scanning him. "How are you feeling?"

"Did something happen?" Pike asks.

"N—no, sir," Riley says. "I guess I got… overwhelmed. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It’s all right, lieutenant. Today didn’t go exactly as planned," Pike says. "Anyone have their communicator with them? Lost mine in the fracas."

Leonard shakes his head. "Lost mine, too."

"Same," Sulu says.

"I have mine, sir," Riley says, wrestling with his. His hand is still shaking as he hands it over. "And Dr. McCoy has my phaser."

Pike flips the communicator open. "Pike to Enterprise. Enterprise, do you read me?"

White noise answers him. "Guess not." Pike then says, "Pike to Spock."

Finally. _"Captain. Uhura is with me. We are shaken but well."_

"Glad to hear that, Mr. Spock. I'm with the rest of the away team. We're currently somewhere outside town."

_"I believe we are headed in your direction. Our rescuers-"_ Muffled voices drown out Spock's for a few seconds. _"Captain, we are nearly there. They say they will explain everything."_

"Good, because I'm all out of ideas. Pike out."

And then they wait. Leonard finishes scanning Riley and finds nothing physically amiss. He chalks up the stress of their current situation but he’s more concerned with Riley’s poor reaction to hostile life. The lieutenant and one-third of the Enterprise crew needed follow-up evals six months after their battle with the Narada, which he passed. Did the medical staff miss something? Leonard watches the young man carefully, noting the anxious fidgeting, the wary gaze, the way he keeps searching the woods.

_Hypervigilance,_ Leonard thinks. Again, not surprising but then he recalls Riley's near meltdown. He said something about hallucinating, didn’t he? Did Riley meet the Kree before? Pike said there hadn’t been any run-ins with the Kree since 2251—any _known_ run-ins since 2251. 

Leonard shakes his head, willing the memories away. Now is not the time. 

Things crash through the underbrush and Sulu shoves Leonard and Riley behind him and Pike. They back up against the starship, phasers raised, and then lower them when Spock and Uhura emerge with their rescuers.

"Captain," Spock says. He waves off Leonard and his scanner. "Doctor, I am fine. Please see to Nyota-"

"I told you, it's just a scratch," she retorts.

"That's what they always say," Leonard says while running the scanner over the back of her left hand. "Wish I had my kit."

"We have something," Gamora says and goes inside the ship.

Leonard watches her and then looks up at the towering walking tree with the walking, talking raccoon on its shoulder. "And what are you supposed to be?"

"I am Groot," the tree says.

"He's Groot," the raccoon says. "And in case you're wondering, I'm Rocket."

"I can't decide what's weirder," Sulu mutters.

"Excuse me, _you're_ the ones who didn't have any defense system in place when the Kree showed up. So that makes you both weird _and_ stupid." Rocket shakes his head. "Terrans."

"Rude," says the man Gamora derisively called Peter. His helmet is gone, revealing a man who's around Leonard's age. He turns to Pike. "You're the captain?"

"Christopher Pike, captain of the USS Enterprise," Pike says. "This is Spock, Dr. McCoy, Sulu, Uhura, and Riley. Rest of my crew is on the Enterprise, which is in orbit above this planet."

"Must've shown up after we did," Peter says. "I’m Peter Quill, but you might've heard of me by another name."

Gamora sticks her head out of the ship. "Peter-"

"Star-Lord."

She sighs heavily while Sulu says, "Who?"

Peter deflates. "Seriously? Not on any frequency? What about the Guardians? Ever heard of them?"

"You’re asking the Federation," Nebula says. "They don't know anything. Call me if something interesting happens."

The android shoulders her sister aside while entering the ship.

"She's new," Peter explains. "Nebula and Gamora are sisters. Real long story, ask them later. That's Rocket and Groot. Don't call Rocket a raccoon and Groot only knows five words."

"I am Groot," Groot says.

Uhura tilts her head. "Interesting. You can express everything with that limited a vocabulary?"

"You can say a lot with five words," Rocket replies. "And also nothing with five words."

The tree nods. "I am Groot."

"Yeah, yeah, can I finish so we can get to the good stuff?" Peter asks. "This is Drax. He really hates the Kree. If a Kree named Ronan shows up, get out of Drax's way."

"Ronan killed my family," Drax says. "I swore to them that I would kill him with my bare hands."

"… right," Leonard says while Uhura and Riley take a large side-step away from the alien.

"And this is Mantis,” Quill says, nodding to the yellow alien with the antennae. “My dad adopted her, and then she helped us stop him from, uh, what was it?"

"Taking over the universe," she says. "And killing his children if they didn't inherit any of his powers."

"Yeah, that. So. That's us. We're the Guardians. Which you obviously never heard of."

"No, we haven't," Pike says.

Spock frowns. "What exactly are you guarding?"

"That's another long story, slightly related to this one," Peter says, gesturing at the town they just escaped from. "What do you know about the Kree?"

"They're blue and they hate the Skrulls," Sulu says. He looks pointedly at Pike while adding, "I just learned that thirty minutes ago."

Pike sighs. "We promised to protect the Skrulls. Part of that was hiding their existence from the rest of the Federation. Nobody was supposed to know."

"The good thing is, they weren't here for the Skrulls," Gamora says. "Discovering they were here was just an accident."'

"Then why _are_ they here?" Sulu asks.

The so-called Guardians glance at each other and a silent argument erupts between them. Then Gamora says, "What do you think they're going to do?"

"It's not them I'm worried about. It's _other people_-"

"The Kree are a threat to them," she tells Peter, "and this is their planet, their system, their space. We should tell them. I'm telling them."

"Gamora-"

We're looking for someone," she says while elbowing Peter aside. "So are the Kree. Our intel said she was passing through Federation space so we followed her and we ended up here. The Kree showed up and the Skrulls panicked. Things happened, shots were fired, the Kree found out about the Skrulls, they called in reinforcements, we hid. Then you showed up."

"We were on a routine supply run," Pike says. "Who is this person and why is she worth civilian lives?"

"It's complicated," Peter says warily.

Pike holds up Riley's communicator. "I can't call my ship and we're hiding from the Kree. I think we have time for 'complicated'."

* * *

_"The way I heard it, a long, long time ago there was a planet called Asgard. The Asgardians were-"_

"That's Norse mythology," Uhura says. "You're talking about a Norse myth."

"No, I'm talking about a planet," Quill says. "What's Norse?"

"A descriptor for the people and culture of a specific region on Earth," Spock replies. "To them, Asgard was one of the Nine Planets of the Poetic Edda-"

"I'm just telling you what I know," Quill says, scowling, "and what I know is that Asgard was a planet. I don't know anything about this Norse stuff."

"You're saying Asgard doesn't exist anymore?" Leonard asks. Then, "Spock, how the hell do you know _that_?"

Rocket sniggers at Quill blustering over the questions. "Should've stolen the popcorn from that house earlier. This is going to be great."

_"The Asgardians ruled the Nine Realms. I don't know what that means. Nine planets, nine galaxies, who knows. Maybe Earth was one of them, maybe not. Anyway, Asgard-"_

"It wouldn't be the first time a technologically superior race permanently altered the course of a less developed one," Spock muses.

"Is that an observation or an insult?" Leonard says because he can't help it.

"There are many more planets currently populated by species that have yet to discover the wheel. Don't take it personally."

"I'm trying not to," Quill says loudly. "Can I continue?"

"Can you?" Drax asks. 

_"The last king of Asgard was someone named Odin All-Father—and don't you start. He was king for, I don't know, two thousand years? Three thousand? A really, really long time."_

"The only time that mattered to them was when Ragnarok was supposed to happen," Mantis chimes in.

"Ragnarok is real?" Rocket asks.

Gamora arches an eyebrow. "You know what it is?"

"No, of course not."

_"As I was saying, King Odin ruled Asgard for a really, really long time. Then he died. Who's the next king of Asgard? He had three kids: Hela, Thor, and Loki. Hela was the oldest but Odin chose Thor. Next thing you know, there was a civil war and the Asgardians all killed each other."_

"Now you're lying," Rocket says. "Groot and I stiffed an Asgardian once. Sucker tried to pay us short for giving him a ride so we robbed and dumped him."

Quill waves a hand at Pike and the others. "Really? In front of them?"

"Look, I'm just saying that not everyone on Asgard died."

"I am Groot."

Quill drags a hand down his face. "Okay, fine, not everyone died. You happy?"

"For a group calling themselves the Guardians, you don't seem the type," Sulu says.

"Oh, this was all before we ran into this idiot on Xandar. Quill had a bounty on his head and we wanted in. Then Gamora showed up to steal this thing he stole from Korath, that bald Kree with the cybernetic-"

"I didn't steal it! Nobody stole it! It was first come, first grab-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Pike says. He points a finger at Quill. "You had a _bounty_ on your head? Why? What's your trade?"

"My _trade_? I'm a Guardian! I'm the leader of this group! …and before that I was a Ravager."

"Which is?"

"They're a network of mercenaries and pirates," Gamora says. "Don't worry, they don't think the Federation has anything to offer."

Pike glances at Spock and Leonard. "Was that an insult?"

_"Okay, fine, the civil war killed most of the Asgardians. Which is why we're here. Wait. Back up. So the story is that Thor killed Hela and then he and Loki disappeared. Everybody else either died in the civil war or fled. Nobody's been back to Asgard ever since. Actually, nobody knows where it is anymore. It’s more myth than fact now._

_"But people have been trying to get to Asgard ever since. See, there's this thing there called Odin's Vault. Word is there's a lot of really powerful stuff locked up in there."_

"Like what, exactly?" Pike asks suspiciously. "And what does that have to do with the Kree and Cerberus?"

"This is just what I _heard_. Everything happened two hundred years ago so who knows what the truth is. Supposedly Odin collected relics, weapons, alien tech. Yeah, alien even to _us_."

"Casket of Ancient Winters is a famous one," Rocket says.

"Oh, I know that one!" Mantis exclaims. "It's a weapon from Jotunheim, taken from the jotuns during battle on another planet. The Casket holds a thousand snowstorms. It can freeze whole planets!"

"Is that even possible?" Sulu wonders.

"It appears to be a technology that enables terraforming on a tremendous scale," Spock muses. "I have read a thesis from a student proposing something similar, but her goal was to make a planet habitable. This… does not sound like it."

"Unless you're a jotun," Mantis says. “They like it cold.”

"But we're not here for the Casket," Quill adds.

"Then what?" Pike asks.

_"Several weeks ago, Taneleer Tivan hired us to find something for him. Tivan's the Collector. He lives on Knowhere, which—no, I'm not doing this again. He wanted us to find Odin's Vault because of an old story that Odin had an Infinity Stone."_

Here, Quill pauses and waits for a reaction from his audience. Drax says, "I think he hired us to make us go away for a while. Remember the second time Ronan came to Knowhere?"

"How about I don't," Quill replies.

"I do. I came so close to crushing his throat with my bare hands. Then Korath shot me in the head. When I see him again, I'm going-"

"Drax, please," Gamora says. "Keep that to yourself for now?"

"I have kept it for years," he says quietly.

_"I like to think that Infinity Stones are our specialty. Obviously the Collector thought so, too, or else he wouldn't have hired us, Drax-"_

"Explain Infinity Stones," Pike asks.

"That's… complicated," Quill says, faltering for once. He also glances nervously at Gamora, who is remarkably stone-faced. "Really, really complicated."

"If this Infinity Stone is how both you and the Kree ended up on a Federation colony planet, then I want to hear it."

Gamora sighs.

_"The Infinity Stones are six singularities that existed before the universe did. They are immensely powerful artifacts that can only be used by similarly powerful people, and even those people end up destroying themselves. People have been searching for them for thousands of years with little luck._

_"That thing Peter and Korath fought over? It’s an orb containing an Infinity Stone. This stone is called the Power Stone. It destroys any living thing it comes into contact with. If a lesser person like a Terran touches it, it’ll destroy them. We saw it first-hand with one of the Collector's assistants."_

"Are you skipping the bit where you tried to steal that orb from me for Ronan and your father?" Quill asks smartly.

"We don't talk about Thanos," Gamora snaps.

"It's true," Rocket says at the looks on everybody else's faces. "Groot and I were chasing Quill for that bounty, then Gamora showed up to take the Stone, cut off Groot's arms-"

"I am Groot."

"I know, I'm sorry," Gamora replies. "I was a different person back then. So was Nebula."

"Not really sure if she changed all that much," Quill says.

Nebula snaps back an insult from inside the ship.

"Let me get this straight." Sulu points between Gamora, Quill, Rocket, and Groot. "So you used to work for a Kree named Ronan? And went after Quill to steal the Power Stone while Rocket and Groot were trying to grab him for a bounty?"

"He gets it," Rocket says. "I like him."

"And then I joined their quest to sell the Power Stone to the Collector because Gamora promised to take me to Ronan," Drax added. "We met inside a Xandarian prison."

"Prison," Leonard says. "You were all in prison."

"Not me," Mantis says. "I was with Peter's father."

_"The point is, Infinity Stones are incredibly powerful and incredibly dangerous. Ronan nearly destroyed a planet with just the Power Stone. We almost died taking it from him, but we didn't give it to Tivan. That’s why he hired us, Peter."_

"I know," Quill replies, scowling. _"We gave it to the Nova Corps instead for safekeeping. So the Collector wants us to bring him the one in Odin's Vault on Asgard. We do that, we're set for the rest of our lives."_

"I don't even know where to start," Pike says. "First, these… Stones can destroy planets? And you're here to find one and sell it to a _collector_?"

"First of all, I didn't say we were one hundred per cent the good guys," Quill replies. "We just call ourselves the Guardians because we stopped Ronan from going crazy and taking out half the universe. You know what would've happened if he still had it and learned about the Skrulls? He would've wiped you _all_ out in seconds."

"And now you are searching for another Stone to sell for a profit," Spock says. "Do you even know what the Collector intends to do with it?"

"He's the Collector," Quill says. "He collects things by paying for them."

"Hardly a reason to engage in endeavours that would endanger millions of lives."

"Oh look at Mister Pointy Ears on his high horse lecturing us about how to survive out there when he doesn’t know shit," Rocket says mocking. He points at the giant blaster rifle in his lap. "You see this? I don't get these parts for free."

"I don't see any horse," Drax says. "I wish there was one. I'm starving."

Riley frowns. "So that's why the Kree are here? They're looking for Asgard, too?"

_"Tivan had a source who told him there was an Asgardian on Sakaar who knew the way to Asgard. That source also told a Kree spy, who passed it on to the Supreme Intelligence. It's… the Kree's ruling body. Tivan had the source killed but it was too late. The Kree now knew there was a way to Asgard, and since they couldn't get the Power Stone, this one would do the trick._

_"We went to Sakaar and asked around. The Asgardian was a Valkyrie and she'd already left. Someone had hired her. We followed their trail and it stopped here on your planet in your system. The Kree weren't far behind."_

"Then they found out about the Skrulls," Rocket adds. “Too bad for you guys.”

"There has to be a way to stop them," Uhura says.

"There is. We find Valkyrie first and make the Kree follow us," Gamora says. "They leave, you evacuate the Skrulls."

"You can’t know that’s what they’ll do," Spock says.

"I know them," she replies. "They weren’t expecting the Skrulls so they’re scrambling to deal with them while also searching for Valkyrie. Time’s on your side, not theirs."

"We’re taking your word for it,” Pike says seriously. “If this Valkyrie did come to Cerberus, she'll be on one of the passenger manifests. That means accessing the databases and those are back in town."

"The real problem is Starforce," Rocket says. "They're here, I saw the Helion."

"Starforce being…?" Pike asks.

"Kree Starforce is their black ops team," Gamora says. "If we're getting to Valkyrie before they do, we'll need your help. You know this planet better than they do."

"Not really," Sulu says.

"I've never been here before," Uhura adds.

"I have," Leonard says and everyone stares at him. "It was nine years ago and I was a med student helping running a study on the… never mind. I was here for three months and basically never left the hospital but I can get around."'

"Okay. McCoy, you're getting those manifests and anything else that can help us find Valkyrie," Pike says. "Anything else we should know about?"

"Yeah," Quill says. "Ronan's ship, the Dark Aster. It's the reason why your walkie-talkies don't work."

"You mean our communicators," Spock says.

"Whatever. That ship is blocking all long-range communications. That's why you can't call your Starfleet. Also, the Dark Aster can blow your town off the face of the planet in minutes. Disabling the signal and messing with the ship in general is probably a really good idea."

"Okay," Pike nods, "and how do we get there? In your ship?"

Quill frowns. "If we're sneaking onto the Dark Aster again, we need a better plan than the last time."

"What happened last time?" Uhura asks.

"A lot," Drax says while Gamora pats Groot's arm.

Rocket raises his hand.

"I have a plan."

* * *

"Your captain says you can fly anything. True or false?"

"Just give me two minutes with the controls and-"

Sulu catches himself before falling face first into them. Rocket laughs while the Milano soars into the sky.

"Don't make me regret agreeing to join," Nebula mutters behind Sulu. 

"What, it's just a bit of fun," Rocket says. “Besides, you know the Dark Aster inside and out.”

"I am Groot."

"Hey! Whose side are you on?"

Sulu checks the straps keeping him in his seat before resuming his study of the ship's cockpit. In the end, all cockpits are the same. The configuration, on the other hand—

"You really need two pilots?" he asks, eyeballing Rocket's controls.

"I am Groot," Groot replies.

"It's not my fault Quill couldn't keep his ego in his pants," Rocket says.

"I am Groot."

Rocket gives Sulu a once-over. "Yeah, I guess he's no Quill. And I have that device to build. You're flying solo, Sulu. Think you can get us in and out before they notice?"

"I'm the Enterprise's chief helmsman," Sulu replies. "Don't ask me that again."

Rocket rolls his eyes. "Sheesh. Touchy, touchy." He inputs a command and shimmies out of his seat. "Need your hands, Nebula."

"It had better be only that and nothing else," the android replies while following him to the back of the ship. "I know your games."

"Look, it was just the one time…."

Sulu steers the Milano up through Cerberus's atmosphere and into space. He searches for the Kree ship that the Guardians talk about in ominous tones and then the radar shows him a massive ship in orbit. How did it never show up on the Enterprise's scanners? 

"That's the ship?" he asks.

"I am Groot."

The talking tree sounds affirmative so Sulu guides the Milano to it. The plan is to come up at the Dark Aster from below and blast a hole into one of its wings. Then Sulu lands the ship inside and Rocket disrupts the Dark Aster's systems with his device. Since Nebula knows her way around the Dark Aster, she's going with him. Sulu and Groot guard the ship until they return. After that, it's just a matter of getting back to Cerberus without being shot down.

The Milano comes up on the Dark Aster from below it. Sulu keeps an eye on the readout until he finds the coordinates Nebula gave him and then blasts a hole into the ship with the three short bursts before easing them inside.

"Guys, we're in," he says loudly.

Rocket returns to the cockpit, carrying a soldering tool. "Go in for thirty seconds, then land. What? I'm not touching you with it."

Sulu leans away from the soldering tool's bright tip. "You shouldn't run around the ship with that."

"Don't worry about what I'm doing. Worry about what you're doing. Groot, change your mind yet?"

Groot looks between him and Sulu. "I am Groot."

"Fine. Nebula and I will be in and out in ten. Keep an eye on the scanners. Once we disable the important bits, we have five minutes to get back out. Then call Quill. Or your captain. Whoever comes to mind first."

Rocket vanishes back inside the belly of the Milano. Sulu concentrates on taking the ship deep inside the Dark Aster. After thirty seconds, he lands the Milano and asks, "How big is this ship?"

"I am Groot," Groot says.

Rocket trudges back to the cockpit, a device under his arm. "Ten minutes. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"I am Groot."

"Good luck," Sulu says.

Something clangs, something groans, and Sulu sees Rocket and Nebula exit the Milano. He glances at the scanners and sees nothing unusual.

Groot fidgets. "I am Groot."

Sulu considers the alien's tone and gets nothing. "I'm… sorry? I don't have a UT on me so, uh, you might need to show me what you're saying."

Groot tilt his head. "I am Groot." He looks at Rocket's seat and then points at Sulu's uniform.

"Uh, this means I'm in the Command division in Starfleet. Pilots and flight controllers wear this color. So do commanding officers like Pike. But Rocket probably fits in better with Engineering and they wear red." He waits but Groot doesn't try to clarify himself. Figuring now's a good a time as any, he leans on the armrest and says, "I've seen some living flora here and there, but nothing like you. Rocket said Gamora cut your arms off at some point?"

Groot nods. "I am Groot."

"But you have them now. You can regenerate?"

Groot looks around, then bends down and picks up what looks like a little pot packed with dried dirt. He points at himself and then inside the pot. "I am Groot."

"You… grew from it? Is that how they found you?" Sulu considers Groot's negative response. "Then… at some point you were that small? And then you grew _back_ into yourself? Hypothetically, if you lost your arm, can someone grow another Groot if they planted it?"

"I am Groot," Groot says disapprovingly.

"Yeah, that'll be weird. And ethically questionable. But that's still amazing."

He's either imagining things or the moss and budding leaves on Groot quiver and turn a more vivid shade of green.

The Milano's intercom hisses and Sulu switches it on. "Sulu here."

_"Get that ship going!"_ Rocket hollers over what sounds like _blaster fire_. _"Groot, could use a hand!"_

"I am Groot!" Groot exclaims and lumbers off the Milano while Sulu buckles himself in and starts up the ship's systems.

The ship's scanners show Rocket and Nebula returning to the Milano in a hurry, followed by a wave of hostiles. Swearing, Sulu pulls up the ship's weapons system. He waits and waits until Nebula skids around the corner into view, Rocket clinging to her shoulder and firing a pistol at whatever is chasing them. Groot runs—slowly—to them while Sulu aims the ship's cannons. 

He waits until the Kree hostiles also appear, then forgets about the Milano's weapons when Groot's arms suddenly stretch out, spear several of the Kree soldiers, and throw them about, knocking over the other soldiers while damaging the walls and ceiling. He draws his arms back, dropping the corpses, and follows Rocket and Nebula back onto the Milano.

Rocket leaps into his seat. "Fly, you idiot!"

Sulu keeps staring at the blue stains on Groot's arms. "How did you do that?"

"Stop asking," Nebula snaps. "Just go!"

"Ugh, I'll do it," Rocket says. "Mow them down, Sulu!"

He turns back to see more soldiers pouring into the ship's win. He seizes the ship's weapons and opens fire on them. Before the Kree gets close enough to damage the ship, Rocket gets them off the ground and through the hole in the hull back into space.

"I thought they wouldn't notice us!" Sulu says when he sees hostile ships pouring out of the Dark Aster.

"I may have misjudged Ronan a bit," Rocket grumbles. "Don't tell Quill I said that."

"But did you do it?"

"He hooked it up right before they found us," Nebula says. "Hopefully they didn't look too closely."'

"And Ronan?"

"He's not on the ship," she replies. "I checked. He took a ship to Cerberus before we arrived. Probably meeting with Yon-Rogg about the Skrulls. Should give us a few more hours before the Accusers start bombing everything."

"What? They're going to bomb the planet?" Sulu demands. "I have to warn Pike-"

The ship jolts and warnings dot the displays. Swearing, Rocket taps through the system feed. "Great, that was an engine."

"This is exactly how I want to die," Nebula says flatly. "On a crashing ship surrounded by idiots."

"You know, you're _exactly_ like Gamora," Rocket says.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Nebula asks menacingly.

"I am Groot."

"Shut up, tree. Say that one more time-"

"Argue _after_ we land!" Sulu says loudly. "We're entering atmo. Hold on!"

They land in the hills, gouging the earth and uprooting every tree and plant in their path. The Milano comes to a sudden stop with an ear-splitting _crunch_ against a steep hill. Groaning, Sulu clumsily unbuckles himself and stumbles to his feet. Everyone is alive and grumbling while picking themselves up. Groot forges a path through piles of miscellany to the back of the ship and Rocket opens the ramp.

"So that went well," Rocket says, looking at the smoking ruins of the Milano. He takes out a device and fiddles with the settings. "The frequency jammer is off-line but the window's short to keep Ronan from noticing. If you need to send your message, do it now."

He hands the device to Sulu, who does the sensible thing and hails the Enterprise right away. "Sulu to Enterprise. Enterprise, do you read me?"

Low static gives way to Scott's baffled voice. It's the best thing Sulu's heard since beaming down to the planet's surface. _"Sulu? That you? What’s this frequency you're using-"_

"Not important. Listen, Cerberus is under attack. Our last scan didn't show anything because something was jamming the sensors. We just disabled it but it's only for a few minutes. Captain Pike says to get Command and tell them 'Code Pegasus'. Don't ask why. They'll know what it means."

_"Say that again? I can’t—where's Pike?"_

"Not here. We had to split up. Listen, I don't know how long—Mr. Scott? Scotty? Hello? Enterprise?"

Rocket sighs. "Got another two hours before it jams the signal again. Give me that."

He takes the communicator and tunes it. "Hey Quill, it's Rocket. We got in and out. Next window is in two hours. What's your status? You find Valkyrie?"

_"We did,"_ Quill replies. _"And the guy who hired her. Great timing, I was about to call you."_

Sulu asks, "What about Dr. McCoy's team?"

Quill hesitates. _"Yeah, uh, that's why I'm calling. They're not answering. Think the Aster's jamming everything now."_

"Or maybe that's the real reason why Ronan left the Dark Aster," Nebula speculates.

Sulu glances at the others, stomach dropping at the implication.

_"Shit,"_ Quill says. _"We're fucked."_

* * *

Rocket's plan has three parts. While Sulu, Rocket, Groot, and Nebula take the Guardian's starship Milano up to the Dark Aster to jam the jammer, others split up to search for the Valkyrie. McCoy knows Cerberus better than everybody else so he and his group head out to retrieve the colony databases. The others distract the Kree, evacuate any civilians still in town, and keep an eye out for the Valkyrie. Once they find her, everyone is to retreat to the clearing in the woods and wait on word from Sulu and Rocket.

Uhura wonders if she should thank Mitchell later for his suggestion to wear trousers. She loathes unsolicited advice on what to wear but Mitchell is so rarely wrong about these things. After all, it was his insistence on going to Delta Vega for help that got the Enterprise her chief engineer. And the Vulcan ambassador from the future.

She glances at Spock while they inch down a quiet street. His grip on his phaser is steadier than hers. He notices her watching and leans in. "Remember, exhale and then take your shot."

"I'd rather not," Uhura replies.

"I know, but we have no choice."

Ten minutes after splitting up, they find Kree. A group is raiding houses, kicking down or blasting down doors to search within. As soon as a soldier spots them, Quill shoots him and then everyone takes cover when the others open fire.

Quill peers around the corner of the house he's hiding behind, then taps something on his neck. His helmet wraps around his head while he says, "Cover me!"

"How?" Uhura yells after him.

Quill rolls out into the open, activates his jet boots, and lifts off. He fires on the Kree soldiers while making himself a too-nimble target. Uhura takes a deep breath, leans out of hiding, exhales, and fires. Her shot knocks a Kree soldier off-stride and Gamora lands the killing blow. She tosses the blaster rifle to Pike, who helps Quill blow away the remaining soldiers.

"Hang onto this," he says, handing it to Spock. "Never know what we can learn from Kree tech."

"That's super basic crap," Quill says breezily. "You guys have a lot of catching up to do."

Spock frowns while examining the weapon. "We've been doing quite well with our own scientific discoveries and technological innovations."

"Yeah, Peter, stop insulting them," Gamora says. She wipes her sword clean on a dead soldier's tunic. "Let's go."

"Uhura," Pike says, "call McCoy for a status update."

The doctor informs them that they're starting to run into more Kree patrols and it's slowing them down. Pike listens grimly, then takes the rifle back from Spock and fires it into the air. Seconds later, they hear Kree soldiers shouting to each other while running to the source of the blaster fire.

"That should do it," he says with a smirk.

Quill gapes at him, then looks at Gamora and mouths, "What the _fuck_."

Twenty-five minutes and two more firefights later, they run into a much larger group of Kree several town blocks south of the administrative buildings. In a narrow alley, twelve Kree soldiers corner the first civilians anyone has seen since beaming down to the surface. 

"Hey!" Pike shouts and blasts the nearest Kree soldier into the side of a two-story house.

Gamora and Quill wade into the fight while Uhura and Spock take cover. Try as she might, Uhura can't make any of her shots count; phaser fire keeps glancing off Kree armor. She’s as good as dead weight. 

"Hold this." Spock hands her his phaser and ambushes the nearest soldier. His nerve pinch doesn't drop them but his elbow into their face does. He grabs their rifle and retreats back to Uhura’s side.

The added firepower pulls more Kree soldiers off of Quill, Gamora, Pike, and the civilians. Then the shouting starts and Uhura peers around the corner. Her eyes widen.

The civilians are not civilians. The woman facing down the remaining Kree soldiers is darker than her companion, making the white paint on her face stand out. Under her gray cloak, she wears armor made of synthetic weave and plates. Her weapon is a short sword yet the Kree soldiers seem nervous about approaching her with their rifles and pistols. Two Kree soldiers lie bleeding at her feet.

"Who is she?" Uhura wonders.

"My guess is the Valkyrie they were searching for," Spock speculates.

Maybe-Valkyrie looks almost bored with her would-be assailants. "I'm not drunk enough for this. Come on. Let's get this over with."

A Kree soldier raises her blaster rifle and Maybe-Valkyrie ducks under the blast, then runs the soldier through. She yanks her sword out, then turns and slices the hands off the next soldier. Another tries to sneak up on her and she kicks the soldier so hard their helmet falls off. She then cuts the stunned Kree's throat.

In two minutes, six Kree soldiers are dead and bleeding in the alley.

"Holy shit," Quill says while jabbing his neck to retract his helmet. "You're the Valkyrie!"

"Am I?" Maybe-Valkyrie asks while flicking blue blood off her sword.

"You have to be! I'm Peter Quill, but you can call me Star-Lord. I'm the leader of the Guardians. You might've heard of-"

"Whatever you're offering, I'm not interested. Unless it's a drink. Then I'm still not interested," she replies and sheathes her sword. She then notices Uhura, Spock, and Pike, and her eyes narrow. "You're Federation."

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike of the starship Enterprise," Pike says. "Spock is my first officer and Uhura my communications officer. We came here on a routine supply run and found the colony under attack. They say you're the reason why. Perhaps you can explain."

"Why do you think I have anything to do with this?" 

"Because the Kree are looking for you," Gamora says. "They came here to find you, then learned that Skrulls were living here. That's why they haven't left."

Maybe-Valkyrie arches an eyebrow. "_That's_ why they're still here?" She looks over her shoulder. "You hear that?"

Her companion mutters. "This is why I hate dealing the Kree."

He draws back his black hood. He's a pale man of a sickly shade with dark oily hair and circles under sharp eyes. He looks like he hasn't slept in days. His clothes are dark and of the same foreign make as Maybe-Valkyrie's. 

"I don't know how much you paid her," Quill says, "but we have an offer she can't refuse."

"He's not paying me anything," Maybe-Valkyrie says, "and I'm not looking for credits. I want booze and satisfaction, and you're not it."

Gamora stifles a laugh at the shock on Quill's face, then elbows him aside and says, "Whatever you want, we can help you get it. But after we get off this planet."

"We don't need your help," Maybe-Valkyrie says coolly. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"What about us?" Pike asks. "As long as you're here, the Kree aren't leaving and they're killing civilians. People don't deserve to die just because they're Skrulls. If you go with them, the Kree will follow and leave us alone."

"Why in all the realms did you people decide to take in the Skrulls?" Maybe-Valkyrie's companion asks. "Did they not warn you about the Kree?"

"Exactly what I was wondering," Quill adds.

"They're war refugees. How could we refuse them?" Pike says tightly. "They told us everything we needed to know and we decided to hide them in a quiet system. It only got this bad because you showed up."

Maybe-Valkyrie sighs. "We were only here because the cargo ship we were on needed fuel. We left the ship for some air and drinks, then the Kree arrived and blew up all the ships. We were hoping to lay low until they left, then steal the next one that comes by."

"Steal, huh?" Pike says.

"Where were you going?" Uhura asks. "Maybe we can help."

The two possible Asgardians look at each other, hesitating. What’s stopping them from accepting any kind of help?

Maybe-Valkyrie looks at Quill and Gamora. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Because you're a Valkyrie," Quill says, "and you know the way to Asgard."

She actually recoils. "Why do you want to go to Asgard?"

"I'd tell you but first you have to agree-"

"We were hired by the Collector to retrieve something from Odin's Vault," Gamora says. "An Infinity Stone, specifically."

Her companion rolls his eyes. "The Tesseract. It's always the Tesseract."

"You know?" Quill asks.

"Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? I-"

"Don't," Quite-Possibly-Valkyrie starts.

"-am Loki, prince of Asgard and the youngest of Odin's children."

Uhura looks at Spock in disbelief. Her partner's eyebrow is halfway into his hairline.

"Excuse me?" Gamora blurts out.

"I believe he just said he's Loki, the Trickster God of Norse mythology," Spock says.

"Ah yes, the Norse. I remember them," Loki says with a rueful smile. "More victims of Odin's wars. Those primitives thought we were gods and he never bothered to correct them. Anyway, even if you found your way to Asgard—which you won't—you wouldn't be able to get into his vault. When Asgard is in mortal danger, the Vault wards itself against intruders. Only one of Odin's blood can break the enchantment."

"And you're one of them," Quill says excitedly. "This is great! Wherever you're going, you can pause that for a few days, help us get to Asgard and inside the Vault, and we give you a few million credits for the trouble."

Loki huffs. "Uh, not quite. You see…." He holds out his hand and his pale skin turns frosty blue. "I'm not actually an Asgardian. I'm a jotun from Jotunheim."

"He's adopted," Most-Likely-Valkyrie says. "Believe me, I had no idea. Explained a lot, though."

"I don't like what you're insinuating," Loki says. "So no, I can't help you. You'll have to go back to Tivan and tell him you, like so many others, couldn't find Asgard."

"But he promised us fifty million credits!" Quill says. "We have to bring something back. Come on, man, we're so broke right now."

"Sorry, no," Valkyrie says.

"Then help us," Pike says. "I can't call in reinforcements while the Kree are jamming all signals and I'm not about to lose more innocent lives to them."

Valkyrie and Loki think about it for all of two seconds. "That's fair," Valkyrie says. "We'll help."

Quill gapes. "And what are they offering?"

"Gratitude," she replies. "It's not always about the credits, Star-Prince.

"It's Star-_Lord_."

"Whatever."

"Captain," Spock says, "then that means we no longer need the passenger manifests. We need to call in Dr. McCoy's team and retreat."

"Hail him, Uhura."

Nobody answers. She frowns at her communicator. "They must be jamming all frequencies now, Captain."

"Let me try," Quill says, fishing out his own communicator. It's already blinking with an incoming comm.

_"Hey Quill, it's Rocket. We got in and out. Next window is in two hours. What's your status? You find Valkyrie?"_

Quill glances at her. "We did, and the guy who hired her. Great timing, I was about to call you."

Sulu's voice comes in. _"What about Dr. McCoy's team?"_

Quill hesitates. "Yeah, uh, that's why I'm calling. They're not answering. Think the Aster's jamming everything now."

_"Or maybe that's the real reason why Ronan left the Dark Aster,"_ Nebula speculates.

Everyone looks at each other.

"Shit," Quill says. "We're fucked. Rocket, meet us at the rendezvous point now."

"What's going on?" Uhura asks. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ronan wouldn't come down here unless Yon-Rogg called him," Gamora explains while she starts smashing unneeded Kree blaster rifles with her heel. "Yon-Rogg’s the Starforce commander. If Drax finds out that Ronan’s here, he'll compromise the entire-"

A voice hollers, full of joy and righteous anger. "We meet again, Ronan the Accuser! Today, you will answer for the deaths of my wife and daughter. Today, you will die!"

* * *

"Just because I was here before doesn't mean I remember every detail of this place," Leonard grumbles while they hurry down an empty street. "I was only here for three months!"

"Do you talk to yourself often and this loudly?" Mantis asks.

"All the time, especially right now," he replies. "I think we turn right at this intersection."

Chaos ran amok here. Leonard remembers market stalls and hawkers, people blissfully going about their day. He grimaces at the bodies in the street, the rotting produce and the rubble. Riley's face is green and even Drax won't look down.

"I remember the day the Accusers came to my planet," he tells Leonard and Riley. "It looked and smelled very much like today. When I joined the Guardians, I swore never to let this happen again. I am sorry I could not keep that promise."

"Today isn't over yet," Mantis says. "There's still time."

"Time to kill Ronan. I agree."

"Exactly," she says, patting his arm.

Leonard glances at Riley. Revenge must be a common topic for them just like his aunts back home commenting on the weather and his ex.

They're approaching the administrative buildings from the other side, avoiding the Kree presence in the town square. After scouting the area, they slip inside. The Kree apparently left these buildings alone; everything is intact and in their place. The people are missing, though, and the silence is eerie. They crawl down the halls, weapons drawn, scanning each room as they go by.

"Do you know where we're going?" Riley asks.

"Nope," Leonard replies, gripping his borrowed blaster pistol tightly while peering into an empty office. "But I bet that terminal does."

The terminal can't access the extranet thanks to the Kree blockade. It also won't give him access to shipping and passenger manifests. He huffs and turns to the others. "Let's try another."

Deeper inside the main building, they finally find people. Drax decides to investigate a locked room and bashes his way in. Leonard and Riley whirl around at the commotion to see Drax backing out.

"I found people," he declares. "They are alive."

There are five holding all manners of office equipment defensively. They relax at the sight of Leonard and Riley's uniforms.

"You're Enterprise, right?" one of them asks. "Please tell me you have a line to your ship. We tried to warn you but couldn't get through."

"We don't but we're working on it," Riley says. "How many of you are there?"

"Twenty of us were in the building when those—those aliens attacked," another person says. "We were getting ready for you when a cargo ship fell out of the sky and the sirens turned on. I tried to call Pegasus but we couldn't get through to anyone."

"Pegasus? Like 'Code Pegasus'?" Leonard asks.

“So you know?”

Four of the civilians look at the fifth in the room. Her skin turns green with a pebbled texture and her ears curve and taper to points like a Vulcan's. She doesn't shift all the way but it's clear she's a Skrull.

"Please," she says. "The Kree can't find us."

"They won't," Mantis promises. "Where’s everybody else?"

"We don't know," the first person says. "Mendoza gave the order to evac and then the Kree landed. We hid in here."

"We must take them to safety," Drax says. "I will do that. I will protect them."

"We have to find the manifest first," Leonard reminds him and turns to the civilians. "Do you have access to the databases? We're looking for someone. The Kree are looking for her, too."

"So they're not here for us?" the Skrull asks.

"No," he says. "We think taking this person off-planet will get the Kree to leave."

The first person grabs their PADD and inputs a few commands. "I need your voice print."

Leonard gives it and they confirm it. "Okay, you have access to everything. Please be careful. I've never seen the Kree before but her dad told us enough stories."

"Do you know where to go?" Riley asks while they shuffle out of the room.

They nod. Drax shepherds them down another hall while Leonard, Riley, and Mantis search for the nearest working terminal. They find it down another hall and Leonard starts searching the passenger manifests while Riley and Mantis keep watch.

"If you know anything about Valkyrie, now's a great time to say something," he says while the terminal pulls up manifests for every ship that stopped by Cerberus in the last six months.

"I don't know much about this Valkyrie but I know about _the_ Valkyries," Mantis says. "Ego told me they're a special group of Asgardian warrior women who went into battle on winged horses. King Odin won many of his wars thanks to them. But they all fell during the civil war. Well. Most of them fell. Now there's only one left." She sighs. "She must be so lonely."

Mantis seems to speak from experience and Leonard remembers something Quill said earlier. "Quill said his father adopted you?"

"Yes, that’s Ego. He raised me by himself. We were the only ones for the longest time." She stops and takes a deep breath. "I lied. We weren't always the only ones but in the end, we were. And then he found Peter."

"You didn't grow up together?"

"No, Peter grew up on Terra. Then Ego hired Ravagers to kidnap him but for some reason they decided to keep him. Ego only learned about it after Xandar."

"Right. That whole thing with Ronan." Leonard looks at the terminal screen. "Computer, search passenger manifests by name. Exact match to 'Valkyrie'."

Several seconds later, the computer responds. _"Name not found."_

"_The_ Valkyrie?"

_"Name not found."_

"Well damn, I'd rather not read through all the names." He thinks about the timeline. "Computer, list all ships that came here the last seven days."

The computer offers a list of forty-three ships.

"How about three days?"

Twenty ships.

"Yesterday and today?"

Nine ships.

"Wish there was another way to narrow the search," he mutters. "Computer, show the passenger manifest for the first ship."

Halfway through the manifest for the third ship, he finds an interesting name.

"'Brunnhilde'," he reads. "Don't know about you but if that hobgoblin's right about Asgard and Scandinavia, then this person's worth looking up."

"Doctor," Riley says tightly.

Something cold presses against the back of Leonard's neck and he freezes.

"Just what we needed," a voice says. "Thank you. Now turn around."

He slowly does and then his heart plummets. _He knows her._ The memory is hazy but it's impossible to forget the silver star against the green, silver, and black backdrop. It's impossible to forget blue skin, cold eyes, and a rifle to his forehead.

She recognizes him, too. The Kree's eyes widen in shock.

"You've got to be kidding me," she says. "Mantis is one thing, but you…."

Leonard tries to remember where he put his blaster pistol. It's not on his belt but Rocket's spare communicator is. If he can just sneak his hand there-

She presses her rifle to his temple. "I'll blow your brains out. Hands where I can see them. Now step away from the terminal."

He does and sees a burly blue Kree holding Riley and Mantis hostage. Riley's phaser and communicator are missing. Mantis is remarkably calm but Riley is deathly pale and shaking again.

"Bron-Char, keep an eye on him." The Kree soldier lifts her rifle away from Leonard's head and lifts her communicator to her lips. "Yon-Rogg, we have a situation. Found Starfleet officers and Mantis going through the colony databases."

Leonard takes another look at Riley because the last thing that needs to happen is for him to have a meltdown while being held captive. Riley is staring at the Kree standing in front of Leonard, specifically at the star on her chest. He looks like he recognizes it, but that’s impossible. Riley couldn’t have crossed paths with these two Kree soldiers.

He then looks at Mantis, who mouths a word.

_Starforce_.

His heart hammers. These two Kree are Starforce? That can’t be right. That can’t be true. That means-

"… before he finds out," the Starforce agent is saying. "Then send Att-Lass to erase the data. We have what we need."

_"Excellent work. Be here in ten."_

"You got it." She nods to her companion and then looks at Leonard. "Your communicator."

He activates the emergency signal while handing it over. She crushes the device in her hand and tosses it. "Nice try. Now move."

Another member of Starforce is waiting outside. Leonard is too preoccupied with the rifle prodding him along to take a closer look but the Kree has pink skin. Most of their face is covered by a greenish helm so he doesn’t take a another look. Still, his skin crawls.

Several blocks away, Drax's voice booms a challenge to Ronan. Mantis sighs.

"Take care of that, will you?" Bron-Char tells the other Starforce agent.

Leonard trudges down the street, wondering if today can get any worse.

* * *

Sulu and Rocket find Drax first. He's out cold in the middle of the street, bruised and bleeding but alive. Sulu is suspicious but Rocket says retreat now, question later. Groot carries Drax back to the rendezvous point in the clearing where Pike, Quill, and the others are waiting.

Then all hell breaks loose.

"You did _what_ to my ship?" Quill yells.

"They shot us down! It's not like I wanted to die on your ship, which by the way, I take care of!" Rocket yells back.

"That is _not_ the problem right now," Pike says loudly. "I want to know what happened to my officers and Mantis."

"He'd know," Nebula says, nodding to Drax.

"And what about the Dark Aster?"

"The device is installed but the next window is in two hours," Rocket says. "Then you have fifteen minutes to get your ship to take us off the planet."

"Us?" Uhura asks.

"We don't have a ship anymore," Gamora says, "and Ronan would love nothing more than to kill us after what we did to him on Knowhere and Xandar."

"I can't believe you crashed my Milano," Quill says in a wounded voice. "How many times is that now?"

"Listen, first time was entirely justified. Second time was because you wouldn't admit I was the better-"

"_Enough!_"

Quill and Rocket snap their jaws shut and everyone looks at Valkyrie.

"Thank you," Loki says, kneading his forehead. "So. You-" He points at Quill. "-and the Kree Empire are after us because we know the way to Asgard. You-" He points at Pike. "-just want us gone so that the Kree leaves your people and the Skrulls alone. The only ship that can get off this planet is yours-"He points at Pike again. "-but we have to wait two hours for the raccoon's device-"

"Say that again."

"-to shut down the Kree warship jamming the frequencies you need open in order to beam us onto your ship. Am I missing anything?"

Everyone looks at each other.

"We are missing Dr. McCoy, Lieutenant Riley, and Mantis," Spock says. "Judging by Drax's condition, the Kree found them and took them hostage."

"We could just steal Starforce's ship and leave," Valkyrie says.

"Absolutely not," Pike retorts. "I'm not leaving without my crew."

Someone groans and everyone looks at Drax, who slowly sits up and blinks blearily at them.

"Anyone here a medic?" Pike asks. "Seeing as mine was taken _captive_ by the Kree?"

"Sorry, I just know how to drink and kill things," Valkyrie says. "And I'm all out of drinks."

Drax squints at her, then at Loki, then at Pike and Quill. "Something isn't right."

"No shit," Nebula says. "We heard you shouting at-"

"Where are Mantis and the two Starfleet officers?" Gamora asks. "What happened?"

Drax prods a bruise on his jaw. "We… got into the administrative buildings and found survivors. They were hiding from the Kree. One of them was a Skrull. I took them to safety while the others continued the search. The Terrans told me where to go. We were almost there… and then the Kree found us. Ronan was there. Ronan the Accuser, Ronan the Murderer."

The other Guardians resist rolling their eyes.

"I failed them. The Terrans all died getting the Skrull to safety. I saw red. Last thing I remember was raising my daggers to strike down Ronan for good… then Tiber appeared. And then I woke up."

"So you left McCoy, Riley, and Mantis alone?" Pike demands.

"They told me to get the civilians out. Their safety was the priority." Drax looks at Quill and Gamora. "They are all here. We’re in danger."

"I thought we already were," Uhura says, frowning. "What changed? Ronan?"

"No, Tiber," Quill says. "How many times did we fight Starforce?"

"Three times," Gamora says.

"No, it was four," Nebula says.

"Whatever. After the first two times, we researched Starforce to find their weaknesses. They might be a Kree black ops team but you find the right people, pay the right amount of credits, offer the right goods, and people talk. And boy did they talk.

"Yon-Rogg is the commander. Did I tell you that? Well, his second is Minn-Erva. You have Korath, the guy with the implants who has it out for me. Then there's Bron-Char, the big guy. Att-Lass was the youngest, then we started hearing about this new guy, Tiber."

"Third time we ran into Starforce, he was there," Gamora says. "He's a pink Kree like Yon-Rogg. We barely escaped. I fought a lot of Kree in my lifetime and I never saw anything like him. He's a living weapon. If he's here-"

"I saw him with my own eyes," Drax interjects. "Before he blasted me."

"I don't know if we can get them out," she admits.

Pike's mouth thins with each word she speaks and the furrow between his brow is a canyon. "I don't care who this guy is. I'm not leaving my people behind with those bastards. I'll send Mr. Scott the order to call in Starfleet but he's not beaming us up until we get our people back."

"We need a new plan," Quill says. "If Tiber's in town, we can't just sneak in and out."

"Seems simple enough," Valkyrie says. "Find where your friends are being held and be there when the two hours are up. Get in touch with your ship to beam us all out. Any questions?"

Spock is the first to nod. "Given our limited resources and time, I will have to agree with Valkyrie's suggestion."

"Finally, a smart person," she says. She takes out a metal flask, shakes it, then sticks it back on her belt. She looks skyward at storm clouds rolling in and then around. "I'm walking the perimeter. You all need to be ready to go in ten or I'm leaving you behind."

They watch her leave.

"Don't mind her," Loki says. "Now, Starfleet. We have ten minutes to kill. Tell me all about yourselves."

* * *

"Well," Mantis says optimistically, "at least it's a house."

Leonard looks around the living room they're imprisoned in, eyeballing the disarray left behind by the panicking homeowner fleeing a Kree invasion. "It was _someone's_ house."

Her antennae sag. "I know. They were just starting their day."

Leonard peers out the windows at the Kree soldiers walking the streets and the cloudless sky, then investigates the barriers Starforce placed at every entryway between the living room and the rest of the house. They're translucent walls of interlocking hexagons; he prods it and it pushes his finger back. It also shocks him so he leaves it be and turns to Riley. The poor kid is sitting on the floor, back against the wall. He's staring vacantly at the upturned corner of a very nice Andorian rug.

"Hey kid," Leonard says, crouching in front of him. "You okay?"

Riley slowly shakes his head. Well, at least he's honest. "I'm not dreaming, right?"

Leonard frowns. This again? "No, you're not."

"I wasn't making things up. I was right. _I was always right._"

He leans forward. "Riley, what are you talking about?"

Riley looks up at him with wide, wild eyes. "I saw your face. You know who they are. Starforce. You know them, too."

"What? I-" How does he start? Where does he start? Should he even try? "I don't know what you're talking about."

Mantis slowly approaches them. "You both know Starforce?"

"I do. I think I do." Riley clenches his hands. "I saw their uniforms before. The nurses told me I imagined it. I was delirious. Hallucinating. I was too young. My mind couldn't take it. I made up my own answers to cope." He laughs hysterically. "But I didn't. I was right the whole damn time."

Leonard really needs to take another look at Riley's medical records. What the hell else happened in 2251? Did more than one Kree fall out of the sky? "You met them before? Where? When?"

Riley shakes his head. "I'm not supposed to say. It's… something Starfleet wants to keep quiet."

Leonard needs access to those records _yesterday_. "Okay. You don't have to say anything right now."

"I can help," Mantis says tentatively. "I'm very… good at helping people remember and taking their pain away."

"I'm not in pain," Riley says. "Just panicking."

"Don't downplay that," Leonard warns.

"It's—it's nothing, Doc. Really. It's just shock-"

Mantis shushes them and cocks her head to the front of the house. "Do you hear that?"

There's a conversation going on at the front, loud whispers that conclude with someone saying, "Fine. Just ten minutes. You owe me."

The door opens and closes. Leonard glances worriedly at Mantis and Riley while someone walks through the foyer to their prison. It's the Starforce agent from before, the pale Kree wearing the green helm. They come to a stop at the barrier and look at Mantis, then Riley, then Leonard. Leonard's skin is crawling again.

"What do you want?" Mantis whispers.

The Kree soldier hesitates, then presses something on the side of their neck to retract their helmet. "I just want to talk."

Leonard is going to be sick.

_"Just so you know, I think you'll find what you're looking for."_

Fucking Gary Mitchell and his fucking mind games. He never gave Uhura bad advice and he never told Leonard wrong. He knew why Leonard went to space. He knew what Leonard was searching for.

"About what?" he asks. How is he able to speak?

Bright blue eyes stare back at him. They haunted his dreams ever since he pulled a Kree out of a crater in the woods outside Ole Miss. If only he knew what the Kree's uniform stood for. If only he knew what Starforce really was.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," the Starforce agent says. "You weren't supposed to be here."

"It's a Federation planet," Leonard replies distantly. He feels so far away from it all. "Why shouldn't we be here?"

"No, I mean _you_. You weren't supposed to be here."

"Why not? My captain requested my presence on this mission. I'm not disobeying his orders."

"But you weren't supposed to be _here_. This wasn't what I wanted-"

He's back in his own body, flush with sudden anger. "No?" He steps as close to the barrier as he can without shocking himself. "Well tough. Which one of us lied about themselves? Which one of us lied about who they're working for? Which one of us hacked into the Starfleet databases through my PADD behind my back? I don't care what you want, Tiber, so fuck you."

He stares down the Kree, breathing harshly, heart pounding. A glimmer of light forces his gaze down to Tiber's clenched hands. They're glowing with energy.

"Control yourself," Leonard says, stepping back. "Isn't that what your commander always told you? You want him finding out you were here?"

"Bones, Sawbones, come on-"

"You don't get to call me that anymore," he says. "It's Dr. McCoy now-"

"I know you."

It's Riley. He's on his feet and slowly approaching the barrier. He looks ashen and Leonard reaches out to catch him. Mantis inches over, too, equal parts parts worried and curious about this turn of events.

Tiber looks at Riley sharply. "Excuse me?"

"You don't remember me? It's Kevin, Jimmy. Kevin Riley. From—from Tarsus. Remember?"

Tarsus? As in Tarsus _IV_, where catastrophe struck the colony in 2246 in the form of an aggressive blight and the governor executed half the colonists to save the other half? Leonard stares at Riley, horrified, but Riley only sees Tiber. Tiber is backing away while cosmic fire spreads up his arms. Mantis starts tugging Leonard and Riley back from the barrier.

"No, I don't," Tiber says. "I don't know you and that's not my name."

He flees and the front door slams shut.

Leonard glances out the nearest window but only sees an overcast sky. He then turns to Riley. "You were on Tarsus IV."

Riley nods once, then turns and goes to sit on the couch. He buries his face in his hands. "Kodos killed my parents. I only got away because of—because of Jimmy. He lost his aunt and her family, too. We stuck together, saved a bunch of kids, stayed alive. And then…." He shakes his head. "I only remember Starforce was there. And then they were gone, and Jimmy was gone, too."

"I thought Pike said the Kree hadn't been in Federation space since 2251," Leonard says.

"About that," Mantis says slowly. Her large eyes turn from Riley to Leonard. "How do _you_ know Tiber?"

* * *

"This would be a lot easier if you didn't crash the Milano and leave all our shit behind," Quill grumbles.

"Just let it go, Peter," Gamora says while checking her communicator. "One and a half hours until the next window."

"I still don't know why you set it up like that," Sulu tells Rocket. "A lot can happen in two hours."

"The plan, if anyone bothered to follow through properly, was for Ronan and Yon-Rogg to not notice I jammed their jammer until long after we were gone, and that was supposed to happen half an hour ago."

He glares at Drax while loading his oversized blaster rifle. Drax ignores him.

"Listen up," Pike says in his captain voice. "We're splitting up into groups except Loki here. He distracts the Kree with… what was it? Holograms?"

"If I told you, you'd argue with me about how everything ‘really’ works," Loki replies. "You or your Vulcan officer."

"What you call magic has scientific explanations," Spock says while checking his phaser.

"Where have I heard that before," Loki mutters.

"Loki distracts the Kree and draws them out of town while we search for McCoy, Riley, and Mantis. Keep an eye on your chrono. After one and a half hours, we have a fifteen-minute window to hail the Enterprise."

"You know, I thought _I_ was the leader here," Quill huffs.

"He is the captain of a starship," Drax says. "I would listen to what he has to say first."

Quill opens his mouth and Gamora elbows him into seething silence.

Everyone splits and starts searching the town, going from block to block. Groot cannot move quietly to save his life and someone has to keep reminding Drax that his priority is _not_ killing Ronan. Some groups have to wait for a Kree patrol to pass while others quickly and quietly dispatch them.

With twelve minutes left on the clock, one group stumbles into their major break. Pike, Gamora, and Drax are about to walk by a house when the front door opens. They scramble into the dense local flora that the homeowner was cultivating and watch through the foliage as two Kree soldiers step outside. They both wear the same uniform: silver, green, and black with a silver star on the sternum. Pike recognizes one of them as the Kree with cybernetic implants. He apparently found time to change uniforms.

"Starforce," Gamora tells Pike. "Minn-Erva and Korath."

"Korath is the one with the implants?"

She nods and then holds up her hand. The two Kree are talking.

"… shouldn't be anwyhere near Federation space. Think about what happened the last two times we were here. If he learns-"

"Save it for Yon-Rogg. He made the call."

"If he finds out, we’ll never be able to contain him," Korath says. "Then what? We put him down? While that _thing_ is inside him?"

Pike frowns. Are they talking about the 2251 incident? Were they involved? And what did Korath mean by ‘other two times’? 

"That's what the implant is for," Minn-Erva says. "If you want to question the Intelligence, you're welcome to it. Just keep your mouth shut about that Terran doctor and I’ll take care of it."

They have to be talking about McCoy. Pike hopes Riley and Mantis are with him. 

Minn-Erva suddenly looks at the inside of her wrist. She opens her palm and a small hologram projects on her hand. "What is it, Bron-Char? … an ambush? I'll get Tiber." She closes the projection with a clenched fist. "Get back to the house and back up Att-Lass. Go!"

"Must be Loki," Gamora whispers while the two Kree soldiers split. "Follow Korath."

They slip past the hedges and follow the Starforce agent through town. Pike comms the others while ducking into shadows and dodging Kree soldiers mobilizing against whatever threats Loki fabricated. Korath is the only one moving against the tide so it's easy to follow him to a nondescript house three blocks from the town square. Korath stops at the doorstep and immediately unsheathes two short swords. A Kree is slumped over by the door. He's also wearing the Starforce uniform.

"That's Att-Lass," Gamora says. "Something's not right."

They watch Korath check his comrade before entering the house. Five seconds later, a fireball throws Korath right back out the door. Residual energy shimmers in the air while Korath groans and falls unconscious.

"A photon blast," Gamora says. She draws her blade. "Pure energy. Tiber's in there."

Pike hears his doctor shouting from within. "That's McCoy. I'm going in-"

"Wait!" Drax says loudly. "I'll go first."

"Are you both crazy?" Gamora demands. "We need backup. Pike!"

Pike runs across the street, up the steps, and into the house. He crosses the foyer and goes down a short hallway to the living room. He immediately raises his phaser at the Starforce agent standing between him and the energy barrier imprisoning McCoy, Riley, and Mantis. 

"Captain!" McCoy exclaims. "Wait, don't!"

Gamora pulls Pike down and a so-called photon blast roars overhead. Synthetic material shatter and melt, and the air smells of ozone and burnt chemicals. Pike stares over his shoulder at the smoldering holes in the walls and then at the Kree that made them.

The Kree is young and looks human enough with pale skin and vivid blue eyes. It's the energy glowing around his clenched fists that tell Pike he's definitely not human. Is the energy generation a Kree thing? Pike has only seen other Kree using conventional weapons. What sets this one apart?

"What the hell?" he says.

"Who are you?" the Kree demands.

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise," he shoots back for what feels like the hundredth time. "And I'm here to get my people back."

The Starforce kid points at Gamora and Drax. "If you know what's good for you, step away from them. They're wanted criminals."

"Yeah I figured," Pike says, "but they’re not the ones showing up unnanounced to murder innocent civilians. You attacked a Federation colony planet for no reason. Why should I believe anything you say?"

"Skrulls are a poison in any civilization," the Kree says. "We're doing you a favor."

"Nobody asked," Pike replies. "Now let my officers and Mantis go and I'll consider doing the same for you."

He stares down the Kree, daring him to strike. The energy around the Kree's hands glow with increasing intensity, and then McCoy says, "Tiber."

Pike looks at his CMO sharply when the Kree soldier actually listens. Since when did McCoy find the time to establish a rapport with his captor? He’ll have to commend the doctor for quick thinking.

Something beeps and Gamora says. "Five minutes until those two hours are up."

"Five minutes to what?" Tiber demands. Energy flares in his hands again. "What's going on?"

Outside, Quill loudly says, "What the fuck? Is that Korath?"

"We're in here!" Gamora shouts back.

Tiber steps forward, hands raised. Pike aims his phaser at the Kree's head.

"Don't," McCoy implores and again Tiber hesitates before lowering his fists.

Pike frowns. No captor-captive situation he'd seen established a bond so quickly or deeply. Something else is definitely going on. He files it away for later examination.

"Captain," Spock says, entering the house with Quill. "The last of Loki's illusions are falling. Nebula reported-"

"_Shit!_" Quill shouts, raising his blaster pistols. "How'd he get in here?"

"He was already here." Pike tilts his head to the holes in the wall. "He did that. Also the front door."

"He attacked Korath? The hell?"

"Can someone please get us out of here?" Mantis asks.

Heavy footsteps come through the foyer and Tiber's fists flare again. Spock steps back, eyes widening in rare surprise, and bumps into Groot.

"What's going—oh my god." Uhura points her phaser at the Kree. "Captain? What's going on?"

"I’m working on it. If everyone could just-"

"You know, I've been upgrading my blaster rifle for just the occasion," Rocket says menacingly from Groot's shoulder.

"Or we don't shoot first and ask questions later," Pike says loudly. "What's it going to be, son? Let them go and you can walk away from this. Or are you going to take your chance with all of us?"

"I'd take my chance," Drax says. "I've seen him fight."

"Drax!" Gamora hisses.

Tiber stares at Pike, jaw clenched and shoulders tensed. Pike has a harder time meeting his gaze; he just can't keep his eyes off of the energy crawling up the Kree's arms. What sort of technology is this? How is the Kree able to control and manipulate pure energy?

"Don't be stupid," McCoy tells Tiber.

Tiber twitches, then turns and blasts the devices powering the energy barriers, freeing McCoy, Riley, and Mantis.

"Leave before Yon-Rogg gets here," he says.

"I don't believe you," Quill replies. "Could be a trap."

"It's not but it will be if we don't move," Valkyrie announces while storming into the house with Sulu and Nebula. "They figured us out. Loki's slowing them down but he can't stall them forever and you're running out of time."

"But we can't just leave him here!" Quill explains, waving at Tiber.

"I don't want him anywhere near my ship. He can stay behind and deal with his commander," Pike says. "Uhura, your communicator." He flips it open. "Pike to Enterprise. Enterprise, do you-"

"_Wait._"

He lowers the communicator to see Loki standing in the far corner of the living room. Pike distinctly remembers the Asgardian not entering through the front door with Valkyrie. 

Loki stares at Tiber with a stricken expression. "Who are you?" He steps forward, finger pointing at the Kree’s face. "Why do you look like Thor?"

Wait, what?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tiber says uneasily. "Back off."

"I won't. Thor's dead but you look just like him."

"Wait, Thor?" Sulu says. "Loki's brother Thor? That Thor?"

"You told us he was alive," Drax accuses Quill.

"No I didn't! I said he disappeared. There's a difference."

"He's dead," Loki says flatly, "but you look far too much like him for it to be coincidence. Who's your father, Kree?"

"Why should I tell you?" Tiber asks.

"Because if he's saying what I think he's saying, then we have a way inside Odin's Vault," Quill suddenly says. "We can actually get paid!"

"Really?" Sulu says. "_That's_ your takeaway?"

"Absolutely not," Pike says. "I don't care who he is. He’s not stepping foot on my ship. Pike to Enterprise. Mr. Scott, do you read me?"

_"I do,"_, Scott replies, and his voice is _glorious_ to hear. _"But Captain, what’s going on? Last comm I got was from Mr. Sulu two hours ago and not only was he on a completely different frequency-"_

"Forget about that. We need emergency beam out now. Get Chekov to the transporter room. We have… fifteen to beam up."

_"Fifteen? Who are the other nine-"_

"Sixteen," Loki says, still staring at Tiber. "He's coming with us."

"No, I'm not," Tiber retorts.

"He's definitely not," Uhura agrees.

"You definitely are," Quill says. "Groot?"

"Now wait just a minute," McCoy starts, then jumps back when Groot's arms abruptly lengthen and seize the Kree. "What the hell!"

"Get off me!" Tiber starts shattering Groot's branches with bursts of energy, then chokes when a branch wraps around his throat and squeezes.

"What do you think you're doing!" Pike shouts.

"Kidnapping a Kree," Nebula says. She peers out the window. "We need to go _now_."

"Captain," Spock says. "We have five minutes."

_"Sir?"_ Scott prompts.

Pike exhales and raises the communicator to his mouth. "Sixteen to beam up. Have Security and Medical meet us at the transporter room. Once we're all on board, raise shields and hail Command. Do you understand, Mr. Scott?"

_"Aye, Captain. Sixteen to beam up, stand by."_

When Yon-Rogg, Minn-Erva, and Bron-Char burst into the house with a squad of Ronan's Kree soldiers, they find a hollowed out house, residual ionization in the air, and Valkyrie's weather-worn cloak on the ground.

Yon-Rogg crouches down to examine the foot traffic, then looks up at Minn-Erva. "Want to tell me exactly what happened here?"


	2. The Enterprise is a Clown Car

Tiber's earliest memory was of a world devastated by war. He remembered earth so dry it blew away like stardust, remembered shriveled brittle plants and black smoke in the sky. He remembered Skrulls emerging from the ruins of his home. He remembered an explosion and the voices of Kree warriors carrying him to safety.

"They won't hurt you again," Yon-Rogg had told him when he finally woke up. "I promise you this."

Tests later revealed he was a mutant Kree whose powers emerged from the trauma of losing his parents to the Skrull attack. The Supreme Intelligence decided that Yon-Rogg would take him in and teach him how to use his newfound powers. Once he was of age, he'd join the legendary Starforce unit.

"First, you must learn to control your emotions," Yon-Rogg said on the first day of Tiber's new life. "Don't let fear control you. Don't let anger rule you. Not even joy or passion are your friends. They will blind you to the truth. Temper your feelings. That is the only way you'll control your future here."

It was Tiber's earliest and longest battle. He was brash and temperamental, which Yon-Rogg blamed on the Skrulls, and could not wield his powers without aid. 

"You have a gift but all you do is waste it," Yon-Rogg said during a punishing training session. He stared down at Tiber, who was lying on the training mat, twitching from the painful jolts his new training implant sent through his body. "That device is meant to help you, so stop fighting it. Let it show you how to control yourself."

"I'm trying," Tiber gritted out. Once the device stopped shocking him, he sprang to his feet.

Satisfied, Yon-Rogg stepped back and raised his fists. "Again."

Eventually, Tiber's temper got the best of him and he blasted Yon-Rogg into the wall. He nearly blacked out right after and could only grin sheepishly as Yon-Rogg glowered down at him.

A year passed before Tiber could hold his own in a fistfight without his powers. Two years later, he was passing simulations with flying colors. Five years went by, and people began talking about the turning of the tide, an end to a long war.

"You have to let me fight," Tiber insisted once he learned the Accusers had rooted out almost all Skrull cells within the Kree Empire. "I want to fight."

"Do you even know what time it is?" Yon-Rogg asked, glancing back at the chrono on his wall. "And no, you're not ready."

"Yes, I am. I've been ready for two years. I've been ready since my parents died."

"Which is why you're not ready." Yon-Rogg prods his chest. "Stop thinking with this." He then taps Tiber's forehead. "Think with this. And remember: It’s not about you. It’s about how you can serve the Kree."

"By helping you end the war," Tiber quipped. "I don't see what the problem is."

Yon-Rogg looked pained. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "I'll talk to the Supreme Intelligence."

Agents had been tracking the elusive Skrull general Talos for years. Then Soh-Larr caught a break—Talos was traveling through the Romulan Empire on a stolen Ravager ship. His projected path would take him into Federation space and past a star system that was home to a young Kree-like race that only achieved warp two hundred years ago.

"But why travel so close to C-53?" Tiber asked during the briefing. "Wouldn't they notice his ship?"

"No. They only achieved warp two hundred years ago," Minn-Erva said. "Their technology is rudimentary. I'd be surprised if their scanners picked up a Ravager ship."

"They’re not our concern," Yon-Rogg said. "Focus on our objective. We take Talos alive-"

"Why? You'll only invite trouble if he still breathes," Korath said. "Better to kill him and put an end to the war."

"Or we bring him back to Hala for questioning," Yon-Rogg replied patiently. "We need his intel."

"And the kid?" Bron-Char asked, pointing at Tiber. "He's coming with us?"

"I've been training for this my whole life," Tiber retorted. "I'm ready."

Bron-Char glanced at Yon-Rogg skeptically. Yon-Rogg nodded. "The Intelligence gave permission."

"I never needed approval from anyone to do anything," Att-Lass quipped.

"Don't you start," Yon-Rogg said, pointing a finger between Att-Lass and Tiber. "Remember your training. We're leaving now."

Finally, Tiber thought while following Minn-Erva and Korath into the cockpit of the Helion. He'll have his chance.

* * *

Pandemonium reigns.

Pike's warning didn't prepare the transporter room for sixteen people of various sizes and shapes jostling for space in the transporter room. Spock instructs Security to take the half-conscious Kree to the brig and they collide with Medical on the way out. M'Benga and Chapel stop in their tracks at the sight of utter chaos. Pike hollers at the top of his lungs to bring some order to the room.

"M'Benga, Chapel, take McCoy, Riley, and Mantis to the medbay for evals. McCoy will explain everything. Spock, get everybody else to the briefing room. Sulu, Uhura, you're with me."

A shell-shocked Chekov manages to snap out of it in time to hit the intercom and say, "Transporter to bridge, captain's on his way."

Everyone leaps to their feet when Pike, Sulu, and Uhura enter the bridge. Uhura goes to the communications station. Sulu takes Mitchell's place at the helm while Mitchell slides over to the navigation station.

"Captain," Scott says while vacating the captain's chair. "What happened down there?"

"I'll tell you in five minutes. Mr. Sulu-"

"Captain, another ship's come into range," Mitchell announces. "It's… I don't know what type of ship it is. It's not Klingon or Romulan, and the computer doesn't match it to anything in our databases."

Pike glances at Sulu.

"It's the Dark Aster, sir," Sulu says. "Ronan's ship."

"On screen," Pike orders.

Gasps ripple throughout the bridge at the sight of the massive Kree warship in front of them. Scott utters, "Oh, what a beaut."

"We're being hailed," Uhura announces.

At a nod, she opens the channel.

_"Captain Christopher Pike of the Federation starship Enterprise,"_ a deep, stern voice booms. _"I hereby place you and your crew under arrest for aiding and abetting criminals wanted across five galaxies, for allowing the Skrulls to fester in your empire, and for abducting one of our own."_

Scott glances at Pike. "Uh, sir? What did I miss?"

"Five minutes," Pike replies. "I don't know who you are but you have it all wrong. I should be arresting you for trespassing into Federation space, attacking a Federation planet, and murdering civilians in cold blood. But I won't. I'll let the rest of Starfleet do that for me."

_"Why, so you can claim what belongs to the Kree? Don't think we don't know who’s on your ship, Terran. Hand over the Valkyrie and I may only arrest you for aiding and abetting the so-called Guardians. I will leave the rest of your Federation alone."_

"I don't accept those terms," Pike says cheerfully. "Uhura, get Command on the line. Sulu?"

"Ready, sir."

"Let's go bother the Tholians for a bit. Maximum warp should do."

Knowing exactly what he means, Sulu inputs the coordinates and primes the warp drive.

"Hope you know what you're doing, sir," Scott whispers.

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Scott," Pike replies, sitting back in his seat. He's missed it and is ever so glad to be back in it. Loudly, he says, "I suggest you and your pals leave this system in the next five minutes."

"Sir," Uhura calls out. "I have Command."

Pike switches on his chair companel. "Command, this is Captain Pike of the USS Enterprise. We are currently in orbit above Cerberus in the Cerberus system. Our scheduled supply run has ended prematurely. I am calling Pegasus but will not be present."

_"Understood,"_ Command replies.

He ends the transmission. "Remember, five minutes to get the hell off that planet. Mr. Sulu, the Tholian Assembly."

_"How dare you-"_

"Punch it," Pike says and the Dark Aster fades from view.

Once Mitchell confirms they're not being followed through the warp stream, Pike says, "After fifteen minutes you may reduce speed to warp factor three."

"But we're not going to the Tholian Assembly," Mitchell says. "Where to, sir?"

"No idea, lieutenant, but stick to those coordinates for now. Mr. Sulu, you have the conn. Keep an eye on the companel. Might call you to corroborate certain details from today. Mr. Scott, with me."

They leave the bridge and head down to the briefing room via lift. On the lift, Scott says, "Captain, what exactly is going on? First, we were unable to establish contact with the away team for three hours. Then Mr. Sulu commed us on an unknown frequency. He told us to hail Command and tell them 'Code Pegasus'. What exactly is Pegasus?"

"It’s a code," Pike replies. "It means all available starships are to mobilize and rendezvous at Cerberus immediately."

Scott frowns. "But why?"

The lift stops and they step out. Pike leads the way to the briefing room. "You'll see."

Scott trips over his feet at the sight of the Enterprise's guests assembled within. "Maybe I should've signed up for the mission. Then I'd know what the hell is going on."

Quill and Valkyrie eye each other. "It's complicated."

With a sigh, Pike takes a seat. "Let's get started."

* * *

"How much do you know about Asgard?" Loki asks. "Besides Odin's Vault and Thor being dead."

"Whatever they told us," Spock says, looking at Quill. "They do not appear to have the full picture."

"Me neither," Valkyrie says, "but Loki knows."

"Not everything," he corrects, "but I know what's going on right now. You want what's in Odin's Vault."

"What, you don't?" Rocket asks. 

"No. I asked Valkyrie to take me back to Asgard to finish what Thor and I started."

"Which is?" Gamora asks.

Loki contemplates his answer. "Ragnarok."

"Mantis said something about Ragnarok," Drax says. "…what is it?"

"It is the end of the known cosmos," Spock says. "The prophesied death of the gods and all existence."

"Well that's depressing," Rocket says. "Who came up with that shitty story?"

"It may be a strange concept to us, but the Norse accepted that one day everything they knew would end in death and destruction," Spock says. "Rather than despair over the future, they lived each day with courage and determination. One could argue it both humbled and freed the Norse in ways other human religions of the time didn’t."

Everyone glances at each other.

"The raccoon's right," Valkyrie declares. "It's a shitty story."

"Call me that again-"

Groot hauls Rocket back while Valkyrie watches with an amused smirk.

"If you'll let me finish," Loki says. "We thought Ragnarok to be bedtime stories until signs emerged that it was a real, prophesied end to Asgard. Hela believed only she could stop it but in trying to do so, she began it. Now I am left to finish it."

"Uh, why?" Quill asks. “Nobody’s around to make you do it.”

Valkyrie turns to Loki. "Technically, Star-Noble is right."

"But for how much longer? No, the time is now, especially if the Kree are actively seeking Asgard. I don't know if you Guardians would have ever found a way but they are very stubborn. If the Kree find the Vault, half of the known universe will be in mortal danger."

"Because of these… artifacts your father collected," Pike says.

Loki smiles bitterly. "He liked to see himself as the steward of the Nine Realms. The sole protector who knew what was best for the billions of lives he oversaw. These relics are all extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. I think we're all in agreement that the Kree have very wrong hands."

"Which means we'll have to beat them to it," Quill decides. "Get us to Asgard and we'll take everything before the Kree show up. Then you can do your 'end of the world' shtick and they won't have any Asgard to find."

"I agree that preventing the Kree from gaining access to this vault will be in everyone's best interests," Spock says. "But I have doubts about how we're to achieve that."

"Especially since the Vault is in lockdown," Valkyrie says. "We need someone of Odin's blood."

"Is that why we kidnapped that Starforce jerk?" Nebula asks. "Because he 'looks' like Thor?"

"Thank you for bringing that up, Nebula," Pike says, glaring at Quill. "I don't know how you operate but you don’t go around kidnapping people to bring onto _my_ ship without _my_ input-"

"I had to make a split-second decision and I made it," Quill replies. "If Loki's right, we get inside the Vault and the Kree go home empty-handed. If he's wrong, at least one Starforce person's out of commission and we can all sleep a little easier at night." At the look on Pike's face, he adds, "Look, I never said we were always the good guys."

"It's amazing," Nebula says. "I’ve never seen him try so hard to earn someone's approval. Daddy issues much?"

"Nebula," Gamora sighs while Quill half-rises out of his seat.

"Drax and I have a whole list detailing all of _your_ issues!" Quill retorts. "Don't we, Drax?"

"The list is in his head," Drax intones. "I simply nod when he starts complaining about Gamora."

Pike rubs his temple like he’d rather be anywhere else. Scott, who's been doing his very best to keep up, clears his throat. "So… that Loki fellow is why you're all on Cerberus? What does Pegasus have to do with it? And what's Kree?"

"Actually, they were looking for me," Valkyrie says. "Your ship just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. The Kree are a race from the Pama Star system in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Your captain knows what 'Pegasus' has to do with any of this."

"Like I said, it's a code," Pike says. "Means the Kree are here for the Skrulls and all available starships are to mobilize at Cerberus to protect them. This was the first time anyone had to use it. Lucky us."

"I'm sorry, what? Skrulls?"

"They are a shape-shifting species, also from outside the four quadrants," Spock says. "They lost a war with the Kree and came to us seeking refuge. According to the captain, we hid them on Cerberus for decades."

Scott scratches his head. "They didn't teach us this at the Academy."

"Most people don't know they exist," Pike replies. "The secrecy was for the Skrulls’ protection. I just hope we have the firepower if the Kree call my bluff. Nero did some serious damage to the fleet."

"They want the location of Asgard more than the death of all Skrulls," Gamora says. "Trust me."

Scott sits back in his chair. "Well, okay. Now what?"

"That is my question as well," Spock says. "What is our next step?"

"Asgard," Quill says. "Our ship's back on Cerberus and everyone we need is on yours."

"You’re asking to commandeer my ship?" Pike asks with an arched eyebrow.

"If you don't want the Kree catching up to us," Quill replies smartly. "And I _know_ you don't want them getting their hands on some overpowered tech."

"Fair," Pike concedes. "And what about the Kree in my brig?" He points at Loki. "You started this by saying he's your nephew."

"Technically he isn't," Loki says. "If I'm right, and I know I am, he's the only Asgardian alive who can get into the Vault. We need him. It'll make this whole… venture easier."

"But how did the Kree get their hands on Thor's son?" Valkyrie wonders. "Since when did he even have one? None of this makes sense."

"A lot of things stopped making sense a long time ago," Loki says with unexpected bitterness. "This makes sense."

"What happens if you're wrong and the Vault doesn't open?" Rocket asks. "What if he's just a regular ol' pink Kree like Yon-Rogg?"

"Then you'll have to find some other way of getting past the enchantment," Loki replies.

"Not a problem." Rocket rubs his hands together. "Bet this ship has all the parts I need to build some explosives-"

"Now wait just a minute," Scott exclaims. "You are not building unauthorized explosives on my ship!"

"Rocket, we're not building bombs on someone else's ship!" Quill shouts. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

Pike sighs. Spock clears his throat. "It seems the quickest and least complicated way to resolve this particular matter is with a simple genetic test."

"And would you just happen to have Asgardian genetic material on file?" Loki asks.

"I'm Asgardian," Valkyrie says. "I can give a sample."

"What about the Kree?"

Drax points at Gamora. "I know my weapons. Her sword should still have traces of Kree blood on it. There's your sample."

"There, problem solved," Quill says. "So, does this ship have food? We haven't eaten in over sixteen hours and I'm _starving_."

* * *

"I can't believe they kept the Skrulls and Kree a secret for so long," Geoff says, reviewing the results on his PADD.

"Tell me about it," Leonard mutters while straightening out his rumpled Medical shirt. "Spent three months on Cerberus while going to Ole Miss and never suspected a thing. Wonder how many people I saw there weren't actually human."

"They probably stayed away from hospitals and clinics to escape detection," Geoff replies. He holds up his PADD. "I have your results. Given the circumstances, you're in the clear. Not sure what constitutes as 'normal' for Mantis but saw nothing alarming. Riley's… are inconclusive. Elevated heart rate, higher blood pressure, increased cortisol levels, the usual symptoms of high stress. Did something happen to him?"

Leonard thinks about Riley's unfinished story of his history with Tarsus IV. It would explain his questionable evals after the Narada incident and his ongoing behavior throughout their time on Cerberus. The young man is more sensitive to high-stress situations than most, and the effects will linger.

But since Leonard hasn't gone through Riley's medical records yet, he can't say for certain. "I think the whole situation didn't sit well with him. You know he was flagged for followup last year."

"Which he passed," Geoff replies. "I'll put him down for another followup. Shame if the kid needs to transfer to a starbase."

"I know." Leonard goes to the office door. "I need to-"

"Get some rest after spending a couple hours on Cerberus as a prisoner," Geoff says pointedly. "Christine and I can send up the reports and look after the medbay for another twenty-four."

"Holding you to it," Leonard says and leaves the office.

Eyes follow him out of the medbay. Word had gotten around about his ordeal but not the details; the general chaos of the mission's abrupt end kept everyone too preoccupied to look closely. Leonard doesn’t see Mantis or Riley on his way out; Mantis must have returned to the other Guardians and Riley, he hopes, is taking time for himself.

As for Leonard… if he can't busy himself with work, he might as well hole up in his quarters and drink. Whatever it takes to numb him to everything that happened on Cerberus.

He groans inwardly at the sight of Mitchell loitering outside his door.

"Aren't you supposed to be on the bridge?" he grouses.

"Pike kicked us all out and called in gamma. Thought you needed some company."

"I need a fucking drink and some _peace and quiet_," Leonard says and goes inside his much-missed quarters.

"Rum if you have it," Mitchell adds while strolling past him to the couch.

Rolling his eyes, Leonard does just that. He stays standing while sipping his bourbon, waiting for Mitchell to talk. What does the mind-reading maestro have to say this time?

"Sulu told me what happened," Mitchell says. "Skrulls? Kree? Asgardians? A walking talking tree and a talking raccoon? They didn't teach us that at the Academy."

"That's because none of them are from this galaxy."

"Wow," Mitchell says. "So, what? They all showed up searching for someone and we just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"Yep," Leonard enunciates. Where's the other shoe, Mitchell?

"Or maybe the wrong place at the right time. Or the right place at the right time. The Kree can't have what the Guardians want." Mitchell gives Leonard a significant look. "They can't have what you want."

"What? I don't want what the Kree wants. I want this whole damn story to be over."

Mitchell shakes his head. "The Kree below deck, he's the one you've been looking for. Eight years, right? 2251. That's the last time anyone called you 'Sawbones'."

Leonard almost drops his bourbon, which would be a waste of a fine bourbon. "Get out of my head."

"Sorry. You-" Mitchell gestures at the space between them. "It's not that hard to guess."

"I never said anything about eight years."

"Uh, no, but I remember you telling me not to call you 'Bones' because it's been four years since you went by that name. That was 2255. Simple math equals 2251."

"How did you even know about it?"

Mitchell just looks at him. "You're a doctor."

Leonard decides to slam back the rest of his bourbon and refill his glass. "What do you want?"

"I want to help my friend. There's a lot going on with you right now and I can't ignore it. I know it's about the Kree below deck and I know it started eight years ago."

Leonard pours himself a third serving of bourbon to power through this conversation. "Pike told us that eight years ago, the Kree entered Federation space. They were chasing Skrulls through Sol and had a fight near Earth. Bunch of civilians saw and Starfleet lied about it."

"You saw it."

Until that night, Leonard didn't pay much attention to the sky. He didn't put much thought in going into space. Short stints at hospitals off-planet were enough for his nonexistent wanderlust.

"I was coming back from a date, saw something fall out of the sky, and went to investigate. It was a Kree but I didn't know at the time. I just knew someone was badly hurt and I had to help"

Mitchell arches an eyebrow. "And you didn't have questions?"

He had tons of questions. His questions had questions. But who had time to ask when there was an obvious medical emergency on his hands?

"He was out cold so he wasn't talking anytime soon. Yeah, he survived the drop. Still don't know how."

"And then what? He woke up and left?"

Leonard scowls at his glass. "What do you think?"

"But not right away," Mitchell deduces. "Did he say he was Kree?"

"No, but I knew he wasn't human," he replies. "Had a feeling he wasn't even supposed to be here but I didn't push it. So long as he kept his head down and didn't get in my way, I let him be. Figured he’ll leave when he was ready."

Tiber got in the way all the time. He poked and prodded every inch of Leonard's tiny apartment, pelted him with questions whenever he tried to study, and ate all of his food. Tiber evaded every question about himself while asking intensely personal ones of Leonard, but not because he was some kind of spy; Tiber was genuinely curious about humans and about Leonard McCoy. Leonard thought him a menace the first two days but it was nice not coming home to an empty apartment.

That's how it started.

"And then he left," Mitchell says. "You didn't see him again until…."

Leonard holds his breath. His fingers curl tightly around his glass. _Don't. No more guessing games. Drop it._

"Not too long ago."

"Gary-"

"Lots of nightmares and a lot of drinking, that's what you said," Mitchell says because the man doesn't know when to stop. "Was it because of Nero or because of him?"

Leonard takes a deep breath. "Out."

"You should get this off your chest-"

"I'm not repeating myself. You can take the rum with you."

He turns and goes back to his bourbon bottle. He listens for Mitchell's footsteps.

"But hear me out," Mitchell says at the door. "I think you should talk to Riley. Kevin Riley. Talk to him again."

"Gary-"

"I'm just saying," Mitchell says, and leaves Leonard to his thoughts and his bourbon.

* * *

"It's happening right now or at Hala. Which is it?"

Yon-Rogg looked at Tiber's hands. It took all of Tiber's willpower to disperse the cosmic energy coiling around his knuckles.

"Control your temper," Yon-Rogg said. "How many times do I have to remind you? Remember what sets you apart from the others. Starforce doesn't lose their temper, doesn't give into their impulses and emotions. That is what makes us Starforce."

"I know, I'm trying."

"You're not trying hard enough, or I failed my duty to you and the Supreme Intelligence," Yon-Rogg replied. "But that is not for me to determine. We were lucky you only revealed yourself to one Terran."

"I didn't say anything, I told you-"

"You were there for nearly five Terran days. You could have been discovered. We already lost Talos. We didn't need the entire Federation mobilizing against us as well. Superior technology can't always win against superior force. You know this. I have told you this."

Tiber bowed his head. "I'm sorry I didn't make contact sooner."

"You didn't even try. Sorry isn't good enough. So what's it going to be? Now or at Hala?"

He won't have Yon-Rogg march him into the chamber where the Supreme Intelligence resided. "Now."'

"Smart boy," Yon-Rogg said. "Follow me."

A room on the Helion allowed anyone to commune with the Supreme Intelligence no matter how far they were from Hala. Tiber knelt on the floor and took a deep breath as the contraption wrapped around him and pressed nodes to his temples.

_The Supreme Intelligence stood at the water's edge in a world of endless floating mirrors. They turned to Tiber as he tread across white sand to the Intelligence, a young pink Kree with brown hair and dark eyes. Tiber wished he remembered who the real Kree was._

_"I would hate to call your first mission a failure," the Intelligence said. "That you didn't give yourself away to the Terran or the surrounding town was itself an accomplishment."_

_"But we couldn't apprehend General Talos," Tiber said. "We did fail."_

_"That was not your doing," the Intelligence replied. "You are still young with many years ahead of you to learn."_

_"Then why am I here?"_

_The Intelligence cocked their head. "You know why."_

_The surface of one mirror flickered. Tiber looked at it and his heart leaped up his throat at the image of a Terran’s face._

_"Why do you think Yon-Rogg was teaching you control?" the Intelligence asked. "Why did he teach you to temper your emotions first? One irrational decision could have exposed us, endangered our mission to save the known cosmos from the Skrull infestation."_

_"But I would never betray the Kree," he retorted._

_"How would you know? One of our greatest commanders refused to heed our warnings and we lost her forever. We will not lose you as well."_

_Tiber had never heard of this before. "What happened to her?"_

_"She began to sympathize with the Skrulls. She was convinced that they should have a second chance and turned on her fellow Kree. We no longer speak her name."_

_Tiber knew all too well what happened when Skrulls were given another chance. He clenched his hands and energy burst from them. "I won't let that happen. I’ll never betray the Kree."_

_"Then purge yourself," the Intelligence said seriously. "This Terran saved you from detection in that one instance. Do not let your gratitude become an attachment. Rid yourself of the memory."_

_The lump in his throat made it hard to breathe. "Is it the only way?"_

_The Intelligence stared at him. "It is the only way to undo what the Skrulls did to your family. We will discuss your training with Yon-Rogg. And if needs must-" The Intelligence blurred, shifted, took on another face. "-we will teach you how to walk away."_

_Tiber knew the conversation was over and the verdict given. He would continue training until his loyalty to the Kree was in his veins before being allowed back into Starforce. Tiber turned and walked away from Leonard McCoy's face._

* * *

Leonard doesn't get the chance to drown himself in drink. Not even five minutes after Mitchell leaves, his intercom flashes. Sighing, he switches it on. 

"McCoy here."

_"Doctor,"_ Spock says. _"Are you able?"_

"If I wasn't, would I be answering? What do you need?"

_"The captain requests your presence in the brig. Please bring your medkit."_

Geoff is available. So is Christine. Why do they need _him_? Leonard looks at his unfinished bourbon and sighs. "I'll be there in fifteen. McCoy out."

It takes fifteen minutes to hypo the buzz away, refresh himself, change uniforms, grab his medkit, and go to the lift. Fifteen minutes to steel himself for who and what awaits him in the brig. Fifteen minutes to wonder about the cosmic joke that is his life.

A security officer meets him at the lift. The poor woman looks overwhelmed and can only gesture helplessly at the corridor. He pats Ensign Moray's shoulder and says, "I can take it from here."

Hendorff, the chief security officer, looks just as baffled by what's in front of him. He gawks at the assortment of characters assembled in front of the one occupied cell on the deck and doesn't notice Leonard entering the brig. Spock is the one who turns to acknowledge him.

"Doctor," he says coolly.

"I have my kit. What's going on?"

Gamora also turns around. "Complications. We're settling it with a blood test."

"A _what_?" What the hell did he miss?

She steps aside, giving Leonard a view of the sullen Kree on the other side of the barrier. While Tiber stands at attention, he doesn't meet anyone's gaze and his silence is deafening.

"That thing behind his ear," someone is saying, "looks like a control device. They weren't taking any chances with him."

Leonard hasn't been formally introduced to her, but he suspects she's the Valkyrie everyone was searching for. She must also be the one masquerading as "Brunnhilde" in the passenger manifest.

"You went by Brunnhilde," Leonard says. 

"That's me," she says, smiling. "You're quick."

"Brunnhilde?" Quill asks. "That's your name?"

"_You_ can call me Valkyrie," she replies. "McCoy, right? We need you to take his blood sample."

The smile drops from her face while she looks at Tiber. He glowers back before staring at his feet. 

"Am I getting an explanation?" Leonard asks. "Or did everyone forget I wasn't at the meeting?"

"They're trying to see if what I said is true," says the other person Leonard isn't too familiar with. "The first step is proving whether or not he's really Asgardian. Valkyrie offered a blood sample. Now we need his."

"And I'm the one doing it because?"

"He listened to you," Pike says. "I saw everything at that house. Good job, by the way."

"I didn't do anything." 

"You deescalated the situation and saved everyone's lives, including his," Pike says, nodding to Tiber. 

Leonard grimaces. "Just didn't want anyone dead. Anyway, if you want that sample you're going to have to drop the barrier first."

There it is. Tensions skyrocket, though Leonard is confident that Tiber isn’t going to lash out or make a break for freedom. What’s he going to gain? Leonard looks around when nobody reacts and notices a very strange expression on Pike’s face.

"You heard him, Mr. Hendorff," Pike finally says. He turns to Tiber. "Son, Dr. McCoy is going to draw your blood. If you try anything-"

"I'll cut your throat," Gamora declares.

Pike presses fingertips to his brow. "Mr. Hendorff."

"Security measures are in place, sir," Hendorff replies. "Powering down the barrier."

Everybody tenses, bracing for the worst, and it's not a good look. Pike notices immediately and sharply says, "At _ease_."

Now all eyes are on Leonard as he fumbles with his medkit. He doesn't look at Tiber while saying, "Hold your arm out, and do something about your rubber suit. This syringe can't go through that stuff."

When he looks up, needle-less syringe in hand, Tiber is tapping a command into a panel on the inside of his left forearm. The suit recedes from his right hand and up his arm to his elbow. Tiber holds his right arm out and stares right at Leonard.

Spock politely clears his throat and Leonard remembers what he's here to do. He takes a deep breath, grasps Tiber's arm with one hand, and presses the syringe nozzle to it with the other. He draws a sample under the Kree's watchful gaze, trying his damnedest to keep his hands and breathing steady,

"Blood's not blue," Gamora remarks. "Doesn't mean he's not Kree."

"Pink skin can mean many things," Valkyrie says.

Once done, Leonard steps back and the barrier reappears. Tiber then looks at Pike. "Are you done?"

"Now he speaks," the still-unfamiliar alien says. "Interesting."

"We're done for now," Pike says. "McCoy, get that sample to the labs and have them compare it to the ones we took from Valkyrie and Gamora's sword. Then come see me for the debriefing. Everybody else is dismissed."

"You're not the boss of me," Quill grumbles while everyone leaves the brig.

Leonard is a step slower and the last to exit. He looks over his shoulder to see Tiber staring at him again. If there's regret on the Kree's face, he chooses not to acknowledge it.

* * *

Leonard has never dreaded a debriefing before.

He is slow to leave the labs, slow to walk to the lift, slow to tell the computer where to go, slow to walk down the hall to the briefing room. Then he realizes he doesn't know if his debriefing is on this deck or elsewhere. Feeling like a fool, he goes to the nearest intercom.

"McCoy to Captain Pike."

_"What can I do for you, doctor?"_

"Sir, where are we holding the debriefing?"

_"My quarters, actually. Three minutes. Pike out."_

Leonard gets there in just under three minutes. The door opens before he announces himself; after a moment's hesitation, he enters. Pike is sitting at his desk, staring at the computer terminal with a thoughtful expression. He stands after the door slides shut behind Leonard.

"Take a seat, McCoy," Pike says. "And relax. You're not in trouble."

"Sure feels like it," he mutters, shuffling over to one of the chairs on the other side. "What about Lieutenant Riley?"

"Spock will handle that debriefing, though I was advised by M'Benga not to bother him for forty-eight hours." Pike takes another look at his terminal and then leans forward, hands clasped and resting on the desk. "So. Looks like your evals were fine."

"If they weren't, M'Benga wouldn't let me hear the end of it," Leonard says with a wry smile. Then he drops it. "Sir, this isn't about the Cerberus mission."

"Now you sound like Mitchell. But you're right, it isn't."

Dread sinks in Leonard's stomach. He knows exactly what this is. "You just said I wasn't in trouble."

"I hope not," Pike says, "unless there's something you want to disclose right now. Or you can just let me talk for a few minutes."

Leonard decides to nod.

"Today's been a hard day for everyone. There were… revelations about what Starfleet actually knows about life outside the known quadrants. You could say the Skrulls were our first contact with civilizations beyond the Milky Way."

He nods again.

"I was led to believe that most people were unaware of them. Now I find myself wondering if I was wrong. You were on Cerberus for three months. Did you know about the Skrulls?"

"I'd never heard of them until today," Leonard says truthfully.

"And the Kree below deck?"

Leonard twitches. Pike sighs.

"I thought you successfully established a rapport with him in hopes of freeing yourself, Riley, and Mantis. But that's not it, is it? You _know_ him. That's why he listened to you."

"Or he knew it would be stupid to try to fight everyone all at once," Leonard counters.

Pike isn't buying it. "The last time the Kree were in Federation space was 2251. You saw their fight with the Skrulls that night, didn't you?"

"Just thought I caught the tail end of a meteor shower," Leonard says. "I didn't have much reason to look at the sky."

Pike snorts. "Most people don't. But that's the only time the Kree were near Earth. Is that when you met him?"

"I thought the Kree left before Starfleet showed up to investigate," he says. 

The captain just arches an eyebrow. "That's the official story. The Kree lingered in Sol for a week after losing their target. We just didn't know why. They never returned to Earth, they never attacked our ships. They just wandered around Jupiter and Saturn, then left."

Pike leans forward. "Would that have anything to do with him?"

Leonard grimaces. What should he say? "Based on what little I know, perhaps. He was on Earth for five days."

"How did he escape detection? Someone would've noticed. Someone would've reported him for his non-regulation uniform and his…." Pike gestures at his hands.

"He stayed in my apartment, sir," Leonard confesses. "He never stepped outside the entire time he was with me."

Pike stares at him.

"That night," Leonard begins, keeping his hands in his lap to hide his fidgeting, "I was walking through my college campus back to my apartment. I saw something fall into the woods right outside Ole Miss. Since I was the only one around, I went to investigate. I found a crater… and someone in it. He was wearing that Kree uniform but I didn't know that. I just knew that someone dropped out of the sky and was probably dead. Except he wasn't. I had no medkit on me so I… took him back to my apartment."

"You didn't call campus security? Take him to a hospital? Alert Starfleet?"

"I was young and dumb, sue me," Leonard grumbles. "Also had a mystery on my hands and couldn't let it go. Someone falls out of the sky and survives? I had to be there when he woke up so I set him up on my couch. He woke up completely disoriented, mumbled some nonsense, and promptly passed out."

"Might've been the only thing saving you from his energy fists," Pike says.

Leonard had thought about all the ways things could’ve gone wrong many, many times. He never knew how little he cared about his personal safety when someone needed medical attention until that night. "I told you, I was young and dumb. Eventually he told me his name but nothing else. I let it go."

He doesn't know what to make of the disbelief on Pike's face.

"I'd have liked to meet the younger you," Pike finally says. "Before you were, you know."

"A divorced drunk?" Leonard says wryly, recalling their infamous encounter at a shipyard bar in some Iowan town. "Someone who decided they had enough of Earth so why not try going to space?"

Pike huffs. "That's as good a reason as any. But if this was your first encounter with the Kree-"

"I told you, he said nothing about himself, where he came from, how, or why. He kept a low profile. Was it suspicious? Probably. But did I care? Not really. My only concern was whether or not he'd recover from his fall."

Leonard was also concerned about staying alive. He remembers the cold press of a rifle muzzle against his right temple. The owner of that rifle held it to his head again just hours ago. He knows she wasn't the only one in the apartment that night but he could never remember their faces. He’d woken up the next day with a throbbing headache and discovered he was alone. Tiber was gone.

"I take it a lot happened in those five days," Pike says.

He knows exactly what his captain is doing. "I spent most of those days going to class. I _was_ a student at the time. And it was only five."

By the morning of the fifth day, he'd foolishly believed that they could be friends. He knew Tiber would one day return to the stars but tried not to think about it. Burning bridges and all that. That bridge came all too quickly when the other Kree returned for Tiber that night.

"And you kept this to yourself for eight years?" Pike asks. "You had contact with an alien race you knew wasn't in any official database and you said nothing about it?"

"I know how it looks now," Leonard says, scowling, "but how was I supposed to know back then?"

Pike opens his mouth and then thinks for a moment. "Too late now." His brow furrows. "He never tried to contact you after that?"

"Uh, no. How would he? Not like I gave him my comm code or anything, if he even knew what that was."

"Eight years is a long time but he didn't act like it," Pike says, winding up for another revealing question. "Are you sure?"

There's a hitch in Leonard's voice when he answers. "Yes."

He holds his breath until Pike moves on with the next part of the debriefing. He hates his inability to hide his emotions when he needs to. Jocelyne used to say she loved how he wore his heart on his sleeve. In the last months of their marriage, she said she hated it. So did he.

"... agreed to work with the Asgardians and Quill's people to find Asgard and keep this vault out of Kree hands. Valkyrie is providing the coordinates shortly. Once this mission is over, it's back to Earth for a very, very long debriefing with Command so prepare yourself."

"Yes, sir," Leonard says.

"Don't get involved in something you can't explain to Admiral Nogura."

"Yes, sir."

He couldn't escape the captain's quarters fast enough. Once he's in the lift, he tells the computer to go up a few decks. He makes it to a deck and a half before ordering the computer to stop. He paces around the small space, then leans against the wall and slides to the floor. He stares at his shaking hands, thinking about the lies he told Pike to protect his memory of a golden-haired blue-eyed Kree sitting at a local bar one week after he survived his run-in with the Narada.

* * *

"We have a new mission," Yon-Rogg announced once everyone was on the Helion. He looked right at Minn-Erva. "You're going to love it."

"Oh great," she said. "Where to?"

"We're going to the Federation."

"What? Why?" Bron-Char asked. "Is it the Skrulls again?"

"No, it's this."

Yon-Rogg tapped a command on his gauntlet and the computer responded with a projection in the center of the room. The hologram was of a strange, massive ship of impractical organic design. It looked like an artist's rendition of a comet, or of a tentacled beast frozen in flight.

"That ship is not in any Kree archive," Korath declared. "What is it?"

"It's called the Narada," Yon-Rogg said. "Nobody has any definite information on it. Agents stationed in the Klingon Empire twenty-five years ago said it suddenly appeared at the edge of Federation and Klingon space. It destroyed a Federation vessel before disappearing.

"Thirty-one hours ago, an entire fleet of Klingon warbirds was decimated by a single massive ship. Soh-Larr says it’s the Narada. Its last known coordinates suggest it's moving into Federation space."

"What does that have to do with us?" Minn-Erva asked.

"The Klingons are technologically inferior compared to, say, the Nova Empire, but their ships are still formidable. The Narada destroyed their fleet in minutes. The Supreme Intelligence wants us to obtain every bit of information on the ship. Where it came from, who designed it, what makes it so powerful."

Att-Lass frowned. "And how exactly are we getting that information?"

"We track it down, board the ship, and extract data from their computers." Yon-Rogg dismissed the hologram. "We're leaving Hala now. To your posts."

Att-Lass elbowed Tiber as they left the meeting. "Was hoping it was Skrulls. We were so close to catching Talos."

"Yeah," Tiber said warily. He hadn't thought about that name in years. Seven, to be precise.

The next three days passed uneventfully as the Helion warped to the coordinates Soh-Larr provided. On the fourth day, Yon-Rogg received news from the spy and their mission's objective shifted dramatically.

"The Narada's been destroyed," he announced. "After entering Federation space, it attacked one of the founding planets. According to Soh-Larr, C-13 no longer exists. The Narada had annihilated it."

Everyone looked at each other, stunned. Korath said, "That's not possible. No ship is capable of that kind of destruction."

"This one is. Or was, until a Federation starship managed to stop it from doing the same to C-53."

A chill ran down Tiber's spine. C-53 was full of bad memories for Starforce, from General Talos slipping through their fingers to Tiber being removed from the team for two years for reconditioning.

"I communicated Soh-Larr's findings with the Intelligence. We're to locate the Federation ship's databases and copy everything they have on the Narada."

"Where's the ship?" Minn-Erva asked.

Yon-Rogg grimaced. "C-53."

Everyone looked at Tiber, who asked, "Are we boarding the ship?"

"No, security's too tight and we don't want to alert the Federation to anything," Yon-Rogg said. "We'll access the databases at their headquarters on C-53. Infiltrate, take whatever we need, and leave."

"You really want us to go down to that shithole again?" Minn-Erva asked incredulously.

"Not you," Yon-Rogg replied. He hesitated, then said, "Tiber and I will go. The rest of you will stay in orbit and retrieve us when we're ready."

"Are you sure?" Korath asked. "You remember the last time we had a mission there."

"And I learned my lesson," Tiber said before Yon-Rogg could speak. "The Intelligence will vouch for me."

"As will I," Yon-Rogg said. "He's ready."

Besides, Tiber thought while the meeting concluded and everyone dispersed, there was no way he was running into that Terran again. Seven long years had come and gone since then. Whatever Tiber did was for the good of the Kree and nobody else.

But another, quieter thought hoped that Leonard McCoy was alive and well, and far away from wherever Starforce was going.

* * *

"I'm sorry, _what_?"

_"I said the genetic markers are similar to both samples,"_ Phillip Boyce says. "_Based on these results, I feel comfortable saying he's both… what was it? Kree and?"_

"Asgardian," Pike says, prodding his temple. These lab results are going to complicate a lot of things. "I hear a 'however', Phil. What is it? Lay it on me."

_"Well, I decided to run the sample against everything we had in the databases. Got a hit. Close genetic match on file."_

"What?" That can't be right. Since when did Starfleet have biological samples from the Kree or Asgardians on file, and how the hell did they match the sample taken from the one in his brig? "Are you sure?"

_"Positive. I ran the test five more times just to be sure. Problem is, I can't access the profile. Don't have clearance."_

"Send me what you have," Pike says. "I should have permission."

_"… sent. What do you want me to do with these samples?"_

"Destroy them," Pike says. "I'll comm you if anything else comes up. Pike out."

He stares at the data now sitting in his PADD showing the link between Tiber and an unidentified person in Starfleet's databases. Boyce's conclusion that Tiber is most likely their child and that this person is the Asgardian half only makes matters more baffling. Loki is _convinced_ Tiber is Thor's son and he’ll point to these results as proof he’s at least half-right. But as far as Pike can tell, Starfleet didn't even know Asgard existed outside of early human mythology.

He tries to access the profile and is denied. He tries his voice print and code, and huffs when he's denied again.

"What the hell," he mutters.

He doesn’t need to press the issue. Whether or not Tiber’s Asgardian parent crossed Starfleet’s path has no bearing on the mission objective. But now he's curious and itching for answers.

First, he needs permission to scratch it.

"Pike to the bridge," he says to his intercom. "Patch me a line to Starfleet headquarters. Get me Marcus."

Twenty minutes later, he's staring very hard at his intercom and contemplating the best way to explain what the hell's been going on since the Enterprise arrived at Cerberus thirty-two hours ago.

_"This would be so much easier if you'd just let them install the holo-communicators,"_ Admiral Alexander Marcus grouses. _"Then I'd be able to look you in the eye and dare you to keep saying this is 'an extremely delicate and time-sensitive situation'. You know that won't get you far."_

Pike rolls his eyes. "I thought 'Pegasus' explained enough."

_"You didn't stick around, Chris. You wouldn't even explain if you were pursuing the Kree or escaping them. I assume you're not on the run now if you have time to wake me up at 0320 hours to ask for permission to access a restricted file."_

"As I said, I wish I could say more but I don't even know half the story."

Marcus sighs. Pike suspects he's masking a yawn. _"You're asking for access to files that most flag officers don't even know exist. I'm putting myself on the line if I give you permission to read them. Do you understand?"_

He clenches his hands. What is Starfleet hiding? "I think I do, sir. Believe me, if I already had the answers I wouldn't be asking permission."

_"If you had them, I'd be able to tell Chiro what the fuck happened on Cerberus. It's a real mess, Chris, and you're not even here to help clean up."_

He shifts uneasily in his seat. "I promise I'll explain everything when the Enterprise returns."

_"... fine. You have access to these files for the next twelve hours. Remember, I'm doing this because I trust you to make the best judgment."_

"I understand," Pike says gravely. "Thank you, sir."

_"Marcus out."_

The call ends and he slumps in his chair, dragging a hand down his face and wondering what he's getting himself into. He picks up his PADD and tries to access the profile again. Nothing happens. He rests the device on his chest and stares at the terminal for another minute, then tests his permissions. This time the system prompts for identification and he provides his voice print and code. The profile Boyce couldn't get into unlocks and he sits up.

He stares.

"You've got to be kidding me."

* * *

Kevin remembers black tips on the leaves. Black spreading to the stem. Black eating away at the plant until it was shriveled and gray.

Kevin remembers concern becoming worry, anxiety, and then fear. He remembers his mother and father telling him everything will be okay while putting less food on the dinner table every day.

Kevin remembers the governor speaking reason, asking everyone to remain calm, to not panic or riot. He remembers the governor on the doorstep, calmly telling his bewildered parents that this was for the good of the colony.

Kevin remembers an older boy with bright blue eyes and golden hair. His name was Jimmy and he lived down the street with his aunt and her family. Jimmy saved him from the governor's men. Kevin later learned that Jimmy's family died, too.

Kevin remembers long weeks of running and hiding, of scavenging for clothes and tools, of stealing rations from the families lucky enough to live. He and Jimmy soon led a whole group of kids, boys and girls whose families were murdered to save others.

Kevin remembers tripping over something while walking down a dusty hill. It was small and blue and glowed. It was too hot for his dry, scarred hands but Jimmy held it just fine.

This is where his memory starts to slip. He remembers blue faces, green and black uniforms, and a pale man with yellow eyes. He doesn't remember what the man said. He doesn't remember what happened after Jimmy gave his name.

Kevin remembers waking up alone, head pounding something awful, and dry dirt seeping into his ragged clothes. Jimmy was gone and so where the blue men.

Three days later, Starfleet came.

Kevin remembers telling the doctors, nurses, and officers what happened. They always listened attentively until he told the story of the blue stone and blue men. Then they smiled and nodded, patted him on the head, shoulder, or knee, and told him everything was going to be okay. They didn't believe him.

One person did. She came to him one day and sat next to his biobed. She wore a blue Starfleet uniform and had hair like Jimmy's. She said the nurses told her all about Kevin and wanted to hear his stories. He told her everything. She thanked him and walked away. He never saw her again.

Kevin went back to Earth to live with his relatives. They didn't ask him about Tarsus IV and he didn't say anything about it. He slowly lost contact with the other children he and Jimmy saved, but he never forgot about Jimmy.

Kevin joined Starfleet because he didn't know how else to thank them for saving his life. He was a senior when Vulcan sent a distress call. He then became the survivor of another horror, another nightmare.

One year later, Kevin was assigned to the away team for a routine supply mission to the Cerberus colony, which had survived their own blight and famine. He'd wondered if Captain Pike had chosen him on purpose.

_"I know you."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"You don't remember me? It's Kevin, Jimmy. Kevin Riley. From—from Tarsus. Remember?"_

Kevin imagines what he'd say to those doctors, nurses, and officers now. He wasn't making anything up. There really are blue men wearing green and black uniforms, and one of them has Jimmy's eyes and Jimmy's hair. That means James Tiberius Kirk isn't missing, presumed dead. He's alive and on the Enterprise.

"You again," Jimmy—Tiber, he calls himself Tiber—says when Kevin enters the brig.

"I'm giving you five minutes," Moray says and leaves her station.

Kevin walks up to the cell. Tiber—or is it Jimmy?—stares sullenly at him. He's wearing that green and black uniform from Kevin's hazy nightmares. Kevin wonders how Jimmy ended up wearing it.

"You still don't remember?" he asks.

Stony silence answers him. He wonders where to start.

"My—my name is Kevin Riley. I lived on Tarsus IV with my parents since I was five. When I was eleven, you moved in with your aunt down the street from us. My mom said you'd gotten into trouble back on Earth and was sent to Tarsus to straighten things out.

"Next year, a fungus wiped out all of the colony's crops. Governor Kodos realized there weren't enough rations to feed everyone until relief came, so he decided to kill half the colony to save the other. My parents died. Your aunt and her family died, too. You found me and all the other kids who lost their families. You kept us alive for weeks. You saved us.

"One day, I found a stone in the hills outside town. It was small and blue and it glowed. I showed it to you and then… I remember blue men walking up to us. I guess they were Kree. They were wearing that uniform. One of them wasn't blue, though. He was pale like us and had yellow eyes. He wanted you to give him the stone but you wouldn't. He asked for your name.

"I don’t remember what happened next but when I woke up, you were gone. Three days later, Kodos was dead and Starfleet was here to save us. That was thirteen years ago.

"Do you remember any of it?"

Jimmy stares at him with a blank face. Kevin sighs. What else can he say to jog Jimmy's memories?

"You told me why you came to Tarsus. Your mom had an old car, a classic from the twentieth century. You drove it off a cliff and jumped out at the last minute. You said you did it because you were mad your mom didn't stop your older brother from running away. Do you remember that?"

He searches Jimmy's face but sees no spark of recognition. 

"You really don't remember?"

When Jimmy speaks, it’s a short harsh, "No."

Kevin looks into cold blue eyes and wonders if he has it all wrong, if Cerberus messed his head up like Tarsus did. Tiber turns away and returns to his bench just as the security officer returns.

"Times up, Riley," she says.

He nods, defeated, and leaves the brig. It's not until he's on the lift and someone steps in after him that he realizes he's being followed.

"So," Loki says, leaning casually against the wall. "Tell me all about Tarsus IV."

* * *

Pike looks up from his scotch when Spock enters his quarters.

"I assume you sorted out that mess in Engineering?" Pike asks. Then, "Drink?"

"No thank you," his first officer replies. He stands at attention, ignoring the available chair. "And yes, I made it abundantly clear that all projects must be reviewed and cleared by Mr. Scott before he can proceed."

"Good." God knows Pike could do with fewer frantic calls from Engineering about the raccoon with sticky fingers and know-how that rivals his chief engineer’s. "This won't be the last time we deal with… unexpected guests on this ship, or any ship. Think of it as another training opportunity."

Spock arches a sharp eyebrow. "Captain, I believe-"

"You know you can call me Chris, or Pike. Whichever works."

"-I have already made it clear I don't desire the captaincy, no matter how qualified you believe I am."

Pike manages not to roll his eyes. "Another time then. Any other updates? How's our guest in the brig?"

"He has been… quiet. Mr. Hendorff reports he barely eats despite Gamora saying the Kree don't have any dietary restrictions."

"He's a stubborn one," Pike muses.

"Our other guests are keeping to themselves for the most part. According to Chekov, the coordinates Valkyrie provided is approximately nine days away. Mr. Quill was not pleased to hear that."

"Of course not." Pike sips his scotch and gestures for Spock to take the damn seat. "Five hours ago, Phil sent me the lab results."

"So you _have_ been withholding them." Spock's eyes narrow. "Dr. Boyce refused to tell me when I asked for an update."

"There's a good reason for that. We did confirm the sample Dr. McCoy took is genetically similar to Valkyrie's. Not that it means Loki's right but it's a start. It _also_ matches Kree genetic material. He's half Asgardian, half Kree, whatever that means."

"Fascinating," Spock says, "but not the reason why you called me."

Pike nods. "Phil got bored and decided to run the sample against our databases. There's a genetic match but he couldn't pull up the profile. I didn't have clearance either so I contacted Command and requested access. So everything I'm about to tell you is classified. Not a word leaves these walls."

Spock frowns but doesn't question him. Yet.

"Have you read my dissertation on the Kelvin?"

Spock's eyebrow rises sharply. "I… have."

"You know all the details of Starfleet's first encounter with the Narada."

"Yes," Spock says slowly, uncertain of where his questions are going. "May I ask how this is relevant to our present situation?"

Pike gestures for him to wait a little longer. "You know the last two people to captain the Kelvin in her final hour."

"Captains Robau and Kirk," he replies immediately. A shadow falls over his eyes. "What of them?"

"What if I told you one of them wasn't human?" Pike swirls his glass slowly, thinking about what he read. "And that he’s a genetic match to our 'guest'?"

He waits. The furrow between Spock's brow becomes a canyon as he tries to make the connection. "You are saying either a Kree or an Asgardian had served with Starfleet."

"Asgardian. And I am. I did some more digging. There's a curious gap in Robau's records between stardates 2224.120 and 2225.02. In that time, he was promoted to captain of the USS Faraday after an away mission went horribly wrong. Tragic, but not unusual. The stardates say differently."

"I don't follow."

"Oh, right. You wouldn't know. We officially made contact with the Skrulls and Kree on stardate 2224.126. That's six days after the first of Robau's logs were altered. I shouldn't have to spell it out for you."

"I... think I understand now," Spock says, "but how does this relate to the Kree in the brig?"

"Lieutenant George Kirk officially appeared in Robau’s logs on stardate 2225.06, four days after that gap."

To his surprise, Spock says, "I had always suspected something was strange about his profile."

"Since when did you take a look?"

Spock shrugs and drops his gaze to the desk. "The ambassador had questions and I decided to see for myself."'

"Ah."

The ambassador is an open secret in Starfleet. Nobody speaks of him but everyone knows of his connection to Spock, Pike, and the Enterprise crew. Fewer know the truth and Pike suspects the ambassador is happy to keep it that way.

"He continues to blame himself for the manner in which he changed this reality," Spock says, "but he made it sound as though the Kirks were a _human_ family. The ambassador would have known if he was anything but."

"I don't have an answer to that," Pike says. "It's… possible that our reality has always been different. He never said anything about the Kree, Skrulls, or Asgardians, did he?"

"Nor did he say anything about a talking raccoon or a sentient tree-like race. But we share many similarities. Both of us served on this specific starship."

Pike rubs his forehead. It's beginning to throb. "That's another discussion for another time. Right now we have this… mission to see through, and I don't know how these lab results are going to play out. Have any ideas?"

He looks up when an answer isn't forthcoming. Spock is still staring at the desk, apparently lost in thought. He then squares his shoulders and Pike knows he's come to a conclusion. For what, he doesn’t know.

"Spock?"

"Captain," he slowly says, "how many times have the Kree entered Federation space?"

"Not counting Cerberus? Two times. First contact in 2224 and again in 2251. Why?"

He suddenly realizes exactly what Spock is getting at.

"If what you discovered is true and the Kree below deck is George Kirk's son, then how did the Kree Empire get their hands on him? Winona Kirk and their sons disappeared between 2245 and 2246.

"That means the Kree were here at least once before 2251. But why?"

* * *

This is Mantis's fault. She had to come sit with him while he's eating his dinner in peace and say, "You should see him."

"Mind your own business," Leonard grumbles. "You're as bad as Gary. Did he…?"

"He asked me to sit with you," she says. "You've been ignoring him. And your other friends."

"They can all keep their noses out of my damn business," he replies and resumes eating.

She stares mournfully at his plate and the sight turns his food to ash in his mouth. Leonard sighs and pushes the tray away. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve it."

"It's okay. Now I know he's right. Let me help you."

Leonard narrows his eyes. "How?"

"I'm an empath," she explains. "I can feel the deepest emotions of anyone I'm in contact with. I can also manipulate them and even put people to sleep! Not that I'll do that to you."

"O-kay," he says. "You know I won't allow that here with any of the crew."

"Only if I have explicit permission," she says, "or if someone's in danger. Right now I'm only offering them to you."

"And why do you and Gary think I need help with my emotions?"

She smiles sympathetically. "Because I saw how you looked at Tiber when Starforce held us captive. You have a history with him and it's causing you a great deal of emotional distress. Your friend Gary is having trouble ignoring it."

"Well he can try harder," Leonard retorts.

"You don't understand. If _he_ can feel your emotions, then what do you think I feel?"

“Thought you said you’re an empath. Don’t you have to touch things?”

“I accidentally elbowed you while getting in line for food.” She rubs said elbow. “I can’t forget it.”

"Oh. Well I’m sorry about that, but why does it matter to you? Because we were stuck together in that house for a couple hours?"

"Yes. And because I want to help. Also because you're really loud."

That's fair. He sighs. "Fine. I'll go see him. But don't lay a finger on me. I don't want anyone messing with my head."

"Okay," she says brightly. "Do it soon or else I'll ask you again."

She gets up and bounces away to join her teammates at another table. Leonard sighs, appetite completely gone, and goes to recycle his tray. He glowers at Mitchell’s back on his way out of the mess.

Eleven hours and one shift later, he stares at his communicator while on a lift.

"They're just follow-up questions," he says tightly. "And you know how I feel about doctor-patient confidentiality."

_"Whole ship knows, doc. All right. We'll step out for ten minutes. Whatever you do, don't touch the barrier."_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Thanks, Hendorff. I owe you."

_"How about letting me skip my next physical?"_

"Try something else."

His heart starts racing as the lift slows to a stop. It takes more effort than he'll admit to walk out of it and down the corridor to the brig. He looks for Hendorff first, not ready to face the brig's lone prisoner.

"Hey, doc," Hendorff says. He inputs a few commands and rises from his station. "Don't know if you saw the reports but the prisoner doesn't like to eat. Federation food must not be to his taste."

Leonard arches an eyebrow. "I'll keep that in mind."

The chief security officer gives a signal and the other officers turn and exit the brig. Hendorff then says, "Ten minutes."

Leonard waits for him to leave, then takes a deep breath and walks up to the barrier of the one occupied cell. Tiber is sitting at the edge of his bunk bed, staring unblinking at Leonard. Leonard would do his own visual assessment but Hendorff's words echo in his head and his gaze immediately falls to the untouched food tray on the floor. He scowls at the waste of a perfectly decent meal.

"I know you can eat that," he says, "so why am I hearing that you're starving yourself?"

"I'm not hungry," Tiber says sullenly, "and Terran food tastes terrible."'

"Bullshit. Now I don't know what's going to happen to you but it would be in your best interest to take care of yourself. At least eat the apple."

He glares at Tiber until the Kree reluctantly picks up the fruit. Tiber takes one deliberate bite and then asks, "Where were you?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, kid, who taught you your manners?"

Tiber chews, swallows, and says, "You didn't visit me."

"You're Kree. Your people murdered a bunch of civilians and refugees for the crime of _existing_. You don't get to demand visits."

"The Skrulls-"

"Have not caused a damn problem since they first showed up here," Leonard retorts. "If they did, we'd have kicked them out. You think we don't know any better? We can think for ourselves, you know. We even made a damn secret code in case your people decided to go after them again."

This is a bad idea. The longer he looks at Tiber, the more he thinks about the last time they met. The memory is a bitter taste and he wants to punch things or vomit. Maybe he should find Mantis and ask her to do something about that.

"I don't want to talk about them," Tiber says. He looks at the bitten apple rather than at Leonard. "I don't want to talk about the Kree."

"Really? That's all _I_ want to talk about. Your Starforce was on Earth in '51 hunting Skrulls. What's your excuse last year?"

"I can't say."

"Well I'm pretty fucking sure it wasn't to read some medical student's research paper. Next time you want to snoop around someone's stuff, don't leave a damn trail."

Tiber flinches. "No, it wasn't that. I just got sidetracked."

Leonard just stares at him. "Then what the hell were you in SF for? Because that was, what, four hours of you getting 'sidetracked'?"

"I was thinking about getting friendly with the locals so that I can get into places," Tiber says. "Didn't matter who or how. That was the plan." He swallows hard. "It wasn't supposed to be you."

"But you chose me," Leonard replies tightly. "You could've picked anyone at that bar but you chose _me_-"

"Because it _was_ you!" Tiber shouts. He leaps to his feet, hands blazing. The apple wilts and shrivels away. "For seven years, Bones-"

"I told you not to call me that."

"-they tried to make me forget. For seven years they told me to 'control myself' and 'temper my emotions' because they thought I'd lose control of these." He shows Leonard the energy swirling around his hands. "But I couldn't do it. I couldn't stop wondering where you were or what you were doing. I couldn't let you go. When I saw you at the bar, I—I had to talk to you. I'm sorry for what happened after, but I'm not sorry about that."

Leonard shouldn't have listened to Mantis. This was an absolutely terrible idea and he hates himself for coming down here.

"You used me," he says coldly. "You lied to me and used me and I don't appreciate it. That night was a fucking mistake and I am sorry for ever thinking otherwise. And it's _Doctor McCoy_ now, so you'd better start calling me that."

He turns and leaves the brig before Tiber can get in another word.

* * *

What made Tiber such an asset to Starforce over the years was his ability to smile and bullshit his way into a target's good graces. Being a pink-skinned Kree had its advantages; unsuspecting targets always assumed he wasn’t Kree and gave him everything he needed. It also helped that he never had to carry weapons.

Years of practice meant he could lie with easy charm, blind people to his intentions, and get away with almost everything—with the exception of the Supreme Intelligence, of course.

When he met up with Yon-Rogg at the designated coordinates outside the Terran city called San Francisco, a confident smile was fixed on his face and the lies sat in wait at the back of his throat.

"Took you longer than expected," Yon-Rogg said by way of greeting. "Did you run into trouble?"

"Just intoxicated cadets and hypervigilant officers," he replied. "Starfleet's encounter with the Narada must've been brutal."

"Brutal? The Narada was brutally efficient. It destroyed seven, eight Federation starships in minutes. A shame it was lost before we could seize it."

"Another Federation starship stopped it," Tiber said. "But I found nothing on how."

"Because that information wasn't held at the Academy," Yon-Rogg said. "They sent that data elsewhere. The only thing I could confirm was that it wasn't a Borg ship."

He scuffed at the ground. "Then we just wasted five hours for no reason."

"These missions don't always turn out the way we want them to," Yon-Rogg replied. "Think of it as a training exercise. You needed practice getting in and out of places unnoticed. You didn't set off any alarms this time so I'd say it was a success."

Tiber shrugs. "I don't see why _we_ have to do these assignments. Isn't that what spies like Soh-Larr are for?"

"Soh-Larr can't pass for a Terran. We can."

"But I’m always put on these missions and I’m always told never to use these." Tiber held up his hands and energy burst from his knuckles. "I was born with them for a reason."

"If you want to alert anyone to our presence, then be my guest. The Empire won't extract you if you're caught for disobeying direct orders."

"But you would."

Yon-Rogg suppressed a smile and turned away to tap on his companel. "Helion, we're in position."

_"We have your signal. Hold on,"_ Minn-Erva replied.

Once they were back on the ship, Yon-Rogg told Korath to set a course back to Hala. "Debriefing is thirty minutes. That includes you, Att-Lass."

"I sleep through the call just once," he grumbled while Bron-Char elbowed him and laughed.

Tiber laughed with them and kept the smile on his face as he returned to his quarters, if it could be called that. Not much bigger than a closet, it held a bunk, a locker, and a refresher. The door slid shut behind him and the smile fell away. His knees gave out and he slid to the floor, back against the door.

The lie wasn't that he had trouble getting into the Academy. He dislodged the data crystal from one of the pockets of his Terran disguise. He turned it this way and that, then tossed it onto the bunk and slammed his head back against the door. It hurt but that was the point. He needed it to hurt.

He needed to feel _something_ for what he did. For the lies he told to convince himself what he did wasn't wrong. For the lies he told to convince Leonard that he just happened to be at that bar by coincidence. For the lies he repeated as he followed Leonard back to an apartment a few blocks away.

"Control yourself," Tiber whispered as his hands grew hot and the air smelled of ozone. "You're Starforce, you're Kree. Control yourself."

Yon-Rogg told him the trauma of losing his family to the Skrulls made it hard to keep his powers in check. Loss was a powerful emotion. It made one seek attachments to fill in the void, but attachments were just as dangerous. They blinded one to the truth. But what was the truth this time?

He looked at the cosmic fire shimmering around his fingers. They were a gift, he was told, but he needed to learn how to control them. That was the purpose of the implant behind his ear. But in learning how to rein in his emotions and his powers, he learned how to lie—to his targets, to Yon-Rogg, to Leonard, to himself.

For the first time in seven years, he wondered who and what he really was. Energy shimmered and flared, and the implant sent a warning jolt through his body. He clenched his hands and it dissipated with a small shockwave.

"Control yourself," he told himself again, but now his voice was wet and his eyes burned. "Walk away, Tiber.

"Walk away."

* * *

Pike arrives at the briefing room ten minutes early. He takes his seat and sets out his PADD. He then drags a hand down his face.

This is more exhausting than every other mission he's ever been on. One would think Starfleet well-equipped and well-trained to handle nine unexpected guests and a prisoner, but Quill's Guardians are testing everyone's patience, Loki insists on going out of his way to unsettle the entire ship, and the prisoner has upset his CMO in ways Pike doesn't want to understand.

Quite frankly, he can't wait for this quest to be over and done with.

He switches on his PADD. He may have waited fifty-four hours to finally deliver the lab results but he thinks it's well worth it. Or maybe not; he and Spock could make no headway into the mystery surrounding George and Winona Kirk, and the only files that could answer the questions are locked up tight. 

_"I'm sorry, Chris, but I can't give you access,"_ Admiral Katrina Cornwell had told him, the fourth to refuse his request. _"It's not in my power to give."_

"Then who has it?" he asked, trying very hard to hide his frustration.

_"I think you know. And even then, what you told me isn't enough for Command to grant you emergency access."_

"What exactly are we trying to hide here, admiral?"

_"If I knew, do you think I'll tell you?"_ Cornwell asked, amused. _"Ask yourself why you need to read them before you go up the chain. Cornwell out."_

He looks up when Spock enters the room. His first officer sits across the table from him and sets out his own PADD. "Captain."

"Looks like everybody else is late," Pike says, glancing at the chrono. "Anything new?"

"I did some more research and discovered two things. One is that George Sam Kirk boarded a shuttle to a transport ship two days after leaving home. I lost track of him after that.

"The other is that a crewmember survived Tarsus IV. He's one of our navigators, Lieutenant Kevin Riley. He was also on the Cerberus away team."

He slides his PADD across the table and Pike picks it up to see Riley's updated profile. Besides his ordeal at the hands of the Kree, Riley’s profile notes just one other major adulthood event and that was the Narada incident. Pike raises an eyebrow at the mention of followup psych evals but Riley passed them so he turns his attention back to Tarsus IV.

"Heard about Tarsus but don't really know the details. What did you learn?"

"Riley was one of a group of children who escaped Kodos after their families' executions and survived," Spock says. "Their testimonies were redacted. I assumed it had something to do with the governor but fifty-eight percent of Riley's testimony has been removed."

"Really? I assume you don't have clearance to recover them."

"No, I-"

The door slides open and Quill, Gamora, Loki, and Valkyrie enter. They all look a little stir-crazy from being cooped up in a starship with a crew of six hundred for several days. 

"Please tell me it did not take you people this long to run a simple test," Loki says to open the meeting.

"Well no, but I had some concerns about the results and had my labs run them again," Pike says smoothly. "While there's no way to determine if he's your brother's son, I can say with confidence that the Kree downstairs is part Asgardian."

"_Part_ Asgardian?" Gamora asks.

"Based on the genetic material we collected from your sword and from Valkyrie, yes," Spock says.

Valkyrie turns to Loki. "Did you know about this?"

"Why would I know that? It's not my business what anyone does behind closed doors."

"Yeah, but with a _Kree_?"

Pike clears his throat. "Am I missing something?"

"Intergalactic politics," she replies with a sunny smile. "We have no love for the Kree."

"Yeah, they suck," Quill says. "Always strutting around thinking they're above everyone. Did I tell you we saved Xandar from Ronan? He wanted to 'cure' it by wiping out the whole planet using the Power Stone. Nearly got away with it, too."

"You did," Pike says. "So, not sure which question we answered but these are the results. What are you going to do with them?"

"Nothing," Quill says. "Just need to know we can get into the Vault. How much longer?"

"Approximately one hundred and fifty-six hours," Spock says. "Six and a half days."

Quill groans. Gamora rolls her eyes at him. "And how long did it take to get to Sovereign?"

"At least we knew what we were in for. I don't know what's on Asgard because apparently everything I know about it is wrong."

Loki and Valkyrie glance at each other. Several silent and aggressive gestures later, Loki says, "Well-"

The room jolts. Quill grabs the table. "What was that?"

The intercom flashes and Pike switches it on. "We're about to find out. Pike here. What was that?"

_"Captain,"_ Sulu says, _"systems are registering a power surge on one of the decks."_

"Did you contact Engineering?"

_"Mr. Scott says it's not us."_

Pike looks at Quill. "What has Rocket been up to lately?"

"It's not him." Quill turns to Gamora. "It's not him, right?"

The room shudders again and everyone gets to their feet. Pike leans on the table. "Mr. Sulu, tell me what's going on."

_"That was another power surge, sir. It's—it's coming from the brig?"_

He suddenly recalls the brilliant burst of energy plowing through the house on Cerberus. It must be the Kree prisoner, Tiber. Is he trying to break out? Now?

"Go to blue alert and get Security to the brig, now," he tells Sulu. Everybody else is already leaving the briefing room. He yanks his communicator off his belt. "Pike to the brig. Mr. Hendorff? Hendorff, do you read me? … damn it."

He runs after the others to the lift. As it descends, Pike counts heads. He frowns.

"Where's Loki?"

* * *

_Mantis can help him get his memories back. Ask her._

His thoughts whisper incessantly, insistently. Every time he sees her, they crowd his mind and goad him on. Ask her for help. Ask her to get Jimmy back.

Kevin swallows hard and walks to the couch where she's observing off-duty officers talking, playing cards and 3D chess, and reading their PADDs. She looks up at him with a smile.

"Hello, Kevin."

"Mantis," he says nervously. "I—can I ask you something?"

Twenty minutes later, they hurry to the nearest lift. Kevin tells the computer to take them to the brig.

"If he refuses, I won't do it," Mantis says while the lift carries them down several decks. "Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Even if he says yes, things might not turn out the way you expect. Do you-"

"Yes, I know. I have to try. I have to _know_ if it's really him."

Mantis nods, mouth a tight line.

Problem is, they have absolutely no business being anywhere near the brig. She suggests he distracts the on-duty officers so that she can sneak up on them and put them to sleep. He'll probably get kicked out of Starfleet for this but he's too desperate to care. He's tired of second-guessing his memories of Tarsus IV and wondering what happened to Jimmy. He just wants the truth, and the truth is locked up in Tiber's head.

An officer is stationed next to the corridor. He smiles at her. "Hi, Moray."

"Again? Riley, this is a little unhealthy."

"It's a navigator thing. He's from outside the Milky Way and I just have so many questions-"

Mantis tiptoes up to her from behind and touches her temple. Moray yawns and slumps against Mantis. Kevin helps her ease the officer to the ground.

"How long?" Kevin asks.

"Depends on the person," she says while moving Moray into a more comfortable position.

"You know," another person says, "a fist to the jaw can do the same job a lot quicker."

They whirl around to see Nebula leaning against the wall, eating a daikon radish. Kevin arches an eyebrow.

"Long story," the android says and tosses the vegetable over her shoulder. "I'm so fucking bored. What do you want me to do?"

"Distract the guards while I put them to sleep," Mantis says. "And do it nicely. Wait here, Kevin. Don't want you to get in trouble."

"Yeah, sure, I can do that," Nebula says and strolls into the corridor. Mantis flashes Kevin a smile and runs after her.

A few thuds later, Nebula walks back out. "Done. I'll keep watch while you do… whatever you're doing."

"Uh, thanks," Kevin says, skirts around her, jogs into the brig, and nearly trips over Hendorff's snoring body.

Tiber—Jimmy?—is standing at the barrier of his cell, staring at Mantis. His hands glimmer with energy and Kevin hesitates.

_You remember him. Make him remember you._

He shakes his head and walks up to the cell.

"What do you want?" Tiber asks suspiciously.

"I want to help you remember," Mantis says. "Kevin says you're having trouble remembering."

"I remember just fine," Tiber replies. "I don't need help."

Mantis turns to Kevin with a shrug. "I can put something in the officers' memories to hide our tracks-"

"Not yet." Kevin leans forward. "What's the first thing you remember?"

"What?" Tiber asks.

"Your earliest memory. Tell me what it is."

Tiber hesitates, debating whether to play along. Curiosity seems to win. "I… remember Skrulls invading one of our colony planets and killing my parents. They searched for me but I ran out the back door into the hills."

That's what Jimmy told him after they escaped Kodos's men. The governor came to his aunt's home and killed everyone but Jimmy, who ran out the back door into the hills. "They weren't Skrulls. They were men. Humans. Kodos sent them to kill your aunt and her family."

"No, they were definitely Skrulls," Tiber says. "My commander was there. He told me how the Skrulls came to the planet to kill us all."

"That was a blight." Kevin is starting to see it now. "Some kind of fungus ate all the crops and most of the food stores. We were starving and relief wasn't coming in time so Governor Kodos decided to kill half the colony to save the other half."

"That's what happened to _your_ colony."

Kevin turns to Mantis. "I know this story but the characters are different. There weren’t any Skrulls. It was a blight." He glances back at Tiber. "I found a blue stone. That brought the Kree to Tarsus. I—I don't know what happened next but the Kree disappeared. So did Jimmy. But why did they take you away? Why didn't they take me, too? I found it, not you."

Tiber frowns. "You think the Kree did something terrible. You're wrong. They saved me."

"No they didn't. They stole you. We couldn’t find you anywhere. Your mother came looking for you. Do you remember her? She had brown eyes and blond hair. She was a Starfleet officer."

"She was a scientist. The Skrulls killed her."

"Whoever told you that is a liar," Kevin says. "I'm not. Look. Mantis can help you remember. She can help you see the truth."

"My powers don't work exactly like that," Mantis cautions. "I can nudge your mind to unblock memories, but you have to want it. It won't hurt physically, but I can't promise anything if the memories are bad."

Tiber drags a hand down his face and sighs. "You're wrong about me. But if I do this, will you leave me alone?"

"Yes," Kevin says immediately.

"Fine. I'll do it." He looks between Kevin and Mantis. "What do I need to do?"

"You just need to relax." She looks up at Kevin. "You need to bring the barrier down. I'm not a telepath."

"What if he escapes?"

"Where would I go?" Tiber asks. "I don't even know where in Federation space I am."

Mantis shrugs. "He has a point."

Kevin enters a command at the console to bring the barrier down. Mantis steps inside the cell and motions for Tiber to go sit on the bunk.

"It's easier this way," she explains. "Now relax. I don't want to fight you once I'm in there."

Tiber actually looks nervous as she reaches for his forehead. "You'll see everything?"

"I'm an _empath_. I feel things."

"How does that help you unlock things in people's heads?"

"The memories are already there but they don't realize it. Sometimes they just need to feel it to remember. That's what I'm going to do. Are you ready? You can still say no."

Tiber looks at Kevin and there's doubt in his eyes. He holds his breath, hoping the Kree follows through. He exhales when Tiber squares his shoulders and nods.

"I'm ready."

She touches his temples and closes her eyes. They both slump forward, almost touching foreheads. Kevin watches awkwardly from behind the terminal. Nebula peers inside.

"Did something happen yet?" she asks.

"I don't know. Is that normal?"

Nebula takes a look at the scene and shrugs. "You think I know how empaths work?"

He points at Tiber's lax hands. They're glowing. "What about those?"

"Do I look like I have the answers to everything-"

Mantis gasps and they look sharply at her. She's trembling but her fingertips are still pressed to Tiber's head. Energy flares and bursts as it crawls up Tiber's forearms, glowing more brightly with each second. Nebula marches over to Kevin and drags him away from the terminal.

"Get behind me," she warns.

"But Mantis-"

"Interrupting her is a bad idea, too."

The lights flicker and the terminal flashes system errors. Nebula starts pulling still-unconscious officers out of the brig while Kevin watches helplessly from the corridor.

"Oh," Mantis gasps.

Light explodes, knocking Kevin and Nebula off their feet. Kevin blinks blearily to flickering lights and deafening klaxons. He pushes himself against the wall and slides up to his feet. He sees Nebula doing the same while shaking her mangled wrist. He looks for Mantis and Tiber; Mantis had been thrown into the side of the cell and isn't moving. Tiber is… he's floating, he's several inches off the floor. How is that possible? 

Kevin squints against the white-hot energy pouring out of the Kree's body. Energy crackles and flares like tongues of fire and lightning strikes, fracturing wall panels and short-circuiting the station, setting it on fire.

"Well fuck," Nebula says. She grimaces while setting her wrist, then limps over to Kevin. "You need to evacuate the ship-"

Someone groans. They turn around to Hendorff, who groans again and rubs his eyes. "What… what just happened?" He sits up. "What the hell?"

"Your communicator," she demands, holding her hand out.

He hands it over, then jumps when a ceiling panel crashes to the floor, exposing wires and circuitry to the energy flares. "What happened?"

Riley flinches when something else loudly breaks. "It's—I don't know how to explain-"

"Damn it." Nebula flips Hendorff's communicator shut and tosses it over her shoulder. "It's dead."

Kevin runs over to the companel next to the entryway. "Brig to the bridge! We have a problem!"

_"Riley? That you?"_ Sulu answers. _"I just told the captain about it. What are you doing down there?"_

"Can't explain now but Jim—but the Kree, he's about to go supernova or something-"

Nebula shoulders him aside. "He's going to fry your systems and kill this ship. You need to evacuate."

_"Evac the brig! I'll comm-"_

The intercom dies. She turns to Kevin and Hendorff, then at the cell. "I'll try to get Mantis. Go!"

Kevin turns and collides with Quill. Behind him are Gamora, Pike, Spock, and Valkyrie, all staring in horror at the growing chaos in the brig.

"Mr. Hendorff, what happened here?" Pike demands.

"I—I don't-"

"Captain," Kevin interrupts. "I'll explain everything, I swear, I-"

"Who freed him from his cell?" Pike takes another look at Kevin. "Was it you, Riley?"

"Sir, I just wanted Mantis to help Ji—the Kree—Tiber, I wanted her to help him get his memories back."

"You brought her into this?" Quill shoves him aside and steps into the brig. A burst of energy sends him stumbling back into Spock. "_Why?_"

"He just said-" Gamora starts.

"That's not important," Valkyrie says, drawing her sword. Kevin distinctly remembers her not carrying one into the brig, or around the ship. "Evacuate the ship, Captain Pike."

"Don't kill him!" Kevin exclaims.

"If I don't stop him, he'll tear the ship apart. Is that what you want?"

"Mr. Spock, double red alert," Pike orders. "We're evacuating. That includes you, Valkyrie."

"I'm not leaving." She looks at Tiber, or where Tiber is supposed to be. She squints against the light. "He's Asgardian. He doesn't deserve to die alone."

Gamora grabs Kevin before he can react and pulls him down the corridor to the lift. Quill jogs next to them, shouting into his communicator over the klaxons and flashing lights.

"No, we're aborting this mission! Nobody's dying in Federation space over fifty million credits so get Drax and meet us at the-"

The lift door opens and Loki storms out, followed by a very confused McCoy. Gamora immediately blocks Loki. "Where were you? And where are you going? Don't you hear the sirens?"

"You don't need to know, I'm going to the brig, and that’s not my concern. Mr. Riley, you're with me."

Quill notices and tersely says, "Just find a shuttle, Rocket, stop arguing with me. I'll comm you in a second." He snaps his communicator shut. "Where the hell have you been?"

Loki sighs and points at Gamora. "Tell her to move."

Gamora yanks her dagger out of her boot and holds it to Loki's throat. "Explain yourself. If you did this-"

"Put that away!" McCoy snaps. He glances down the corridor to the source of the shaking and flickering lights. "Is this about Tiber? What happened?"

Loki looks at Kevin, who realizes the thoughts in his head sounded almost exactly like the Asgardian. "I made a few suggestions and he followed through."

"You—it was you? You told me to talk to Mantis?"

"I _suggested_ it," Loki corrects. He suddenly fades from view and reappears down the corridor behind them. "Just so you know, we're running out of time."

Gamora whirls around, then huffs and puts her dagger away. "You really are the Trickster God. Fine. I'm coming with you."

Quill gapes after her. "Gamora!"

They chase Loki back down the corridor to the brig, where the chaos had swelled to a maelstrom of light and energy. Pike, Spock, and Valkyrie had anchored themselves behind a chunk of the ceiling. Nebula is hiding behind the burning terminal, unable to get closer to Mantis without being swept away or fried.

"Good god," McCoy gasps.

Gamora shoves him and Kevin back but Loki steps forward, squinting against the light. Pike spots him and shouts, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Making things right," Loki says. In the blink of an eye, holograms of the Asgardian form a ring around the space, amplifying his voice. "I know who and what you are. I know why the Kree stole you away and erased your memories. But if you don't stop this, you'll never get the answers you want!"

"What if he didn't want them?" Quill yells from the back.

"Peter!"

Nothing changes but Mantis is stirring. She looks at the lights and then her eyes widen. She turns her head to Riley.

"He's trapped in his head," she calls out. "He’s just a child. A scared child who lost everything and is trying to survive."

She's talking about Tarsus IV. She unlocked his memories of the day Kodos came for half the colony. Kevin slides past Gamora and into the light.

"Jimmy!" he shouts. "Jimmy, it's okay! We're safe now!"

Everyone is looking at him in shock, including Loki's doppelgängers. That's another thing he'll have to explain when this is over. _If_ it's over.

"He's dead. Kodos is dead. We're safe now. We don't have to run anymore, Jimmy. Those days are over. We're safe. We're okay. We're safe."

The light dims. When he breathes, the air no longer prickles in his throat. The deck stops shaking as energy draws back to the source. Tiber—_Jimmy_ still glows but nothing is short-circuiting, nothing is on fire, and no system is in critical failure. A terminal screen flickers back on and blasts a warning about a security malfunction. Hendorff runs over to shut it off.

Jimmy's feet touch the floor and he collapses. Kevin starts forward but McCoy is faster; the doctor scrambles over the rubble and cables while yanking his tricorder out of his medkit. He scans Jimmy for injuries, then turns to scan Mantis, whose eyes are sliding shut.

"We need Medical," he says. "Someone get Medical right now!"

Pike grabs his communicator. "Brig to medbay. M'Benga, get a team down here."

Kevin sits down hard, not quite believing what just transpired. He wipes his face and realizes he's crying. Valkyrie crouches next to him and takes out a flask. She uncorks it and takes a drink, then hands it to him.

"Drink."

He just holds it while watching McCoy tend to Jimmy and Mantis. Then someone steps into view and he looks up at Pike.

"When you're ready, Mr. Riley, meet me at my quarters," Pike says. "You too, Loki."

Kevin takes that drink.


	3. A New Challenger Approaches

_"My name is James Tiberius Kirk."_

That's what he told the officer after he drove his mother's antique car off the cliff into the quarry. That's what he tried to tell the pale man with yellow eyes.

"My name is James Tiberius Kirk."

It almost feels right. He whispers it again. It doesn't seem real. Is that really his name? He wants to believe it.

He holds his breath when someone approaches. He resists curling into a tight ball under the light thermal blanket but his heart races when footsteps stop somewhere behind his back. He keeps one eye open, staring at his curled fingers and the monitors on the biobed next to his.

The person behind him sighs and his breath hitches.

"I warned you to eat your damn food, didn't I," Leonard mutters. "Don't care what Loki says about Asgardian metabolism. A person's got to eat."

He watches a ribbon of iridescent energy ripple effortlessly across his knuckles. That tells him he’s fine, so why does he feel so _exhausted_?

"Mantis is okay. Whatever she did took a lot out of her plus she has a concussion, but she's tough. Riley, though… now it all makes sense. Back on Cerberus, he was remembering something awful." Leonard sighs. "I have.. I have so many questions. I don't even know where to start, but they can wait until you're ready. I'll wait until… Chapel, Moray's waking up…."

Footsteps wander away and he lets himself take a shuddering breath, lets himself curl into that tight ball like he used to in the days after Sam ran away from home. How does he remember that?

When he dreams, he sees sunny blue skies and wheat fields that never end. An older boy sits next to him on the roof of the old barn, throwing pebbles as far as he can just because he can. They clear the fields and land on the main road a half-mile away.

_"Ever thought about leaving the farm? Walking to the shipyard and hitching a shuttle out of here?"_

_"You can't do that! If Uncle Frank finds out-"_

_"He won't do a damn thing. I'm stronger. He can't stop me."_

_"Mom said-"_

_"Mom's not here, is she? She never is. How much longer am I supposed to stick around waiting for her to come back?"_

The older boy shimmies to the edge of the roof and leaps down. Jim stares at the back of Sam's dark blond head as storm clouds gather, blotting out the sun. He jumps down from the barn roof and lands face first in bone-dry dirt. He raises his head to see a Skrull—no, _Yon-Rogg_ point a blaster pistol at his face.

He bolts upright, fists up and glowing bright. He twitches when the control implant pulses a warning.

"Okay," someone says sternly, "what you're _not_ going to do is punch a hole through the medbay."

He blinks and realizes a pink-skinned woman wearing a pale blue uniform and a supremely unimpressed expression is standing in front of his biobed, PADD in hand. He lowers his hands and dissipates the energy. "I'm sorry."

Her expression softens. "Just remember that you're surrounded by other people. How are you feeling?"

He has to think. "Tired."

"I'm not surprised. The brig reported your lack of appetite and after your little display thirteen hours ago, I'd expect you to feel the effects for a while. Your vitals are stable but you're under observation for another forty-eight hours. There's also a cybernetic implant behind your left ear. Can you tell me what it’s for?"

"It helps me control… it's there to help me," he says. “That’s all I’m saying.”

"I see. It's malfunctioning but we can't remove it until we know how it was integrated into your body. Does it hurt?"

"No."

She doesn't believe him but merely notes it on her PADD. "Do you need anything?"

Jim looks around the medbay and then at himself. Someone had stripped him of his Starforce uniform, which is probably for the best, and stuffed him in an unmarked black shirt and trousers.

"He thought the uniform would be the last thing you want to see so we removed it. It's in storage."

"He?"

The woman tilts her head to the back of the medbay. "Dr. McCoy."

He immediately looks in that direction but only sees another Terran, a dark-skinned man reviewing something on a PADD. He's wearing the same blue shirt that Leonard and this Terran woman wear.

"Where's McCoy?" Jim asks. "Is he here?"

"He's in his office." The woman looks at him curiously. "Do you want to see him?"

He shakes his head. "Not right now."

"Okay. Well I'm Chapel, the head nurse. If you need anything, just ask."

He waits until both she and the other doctor have their backs to him, then slides off the biobed onto bare feet. His knees wobble but hold, and he quietly pads through the medbay in the direction Chapel pointed.

There's an office and the door is closed. He stares at it, then takes a deep breath and knocks.

"If it's not a ship-wide emergency, it can wait until I'm done with the backlog," Leonard replies, clearly expecting someone else.

The door slides open, revealing Leonard sitting at a desk with several PADDs in front of him. He looks up and stares.

"Hi," Jim says. "Can I…?"

"You should be _off_ your feet and _in_ your biobed, not wandering around the medbay," Leonard replies immediately.

Jim rubs the back of his neck while glancing sideways at the rest of the medbay. "I don't know anyone out there."

Leonard sighs. "All right. If it means getting you to lie down, then come in. I have a fold-out bunk you can use."

Jim doesn't. He takes a seat in front of Leonard's desk, jamming himself in the chair and fiddling with his hands, unsure of how to even _begin_.

"We can do this another time," Leonard says. "What happened to you during and after Tarsus is more than what most people deal with in a lifetime."

He swallows. "They changed my memories." He now knows how Kodos's men became Skrulls, how a blight-driven famine became the ongoing Kree-Skrull war. It must’ve been so easy selling him lies about how his story began. "They told me Skrulls killed my family. I was another victim of their war, not the survivor of a massacre."

He also now knows who the child was that the Supreme Intelligence pretended to be. While it makes sense, he wonders why they didn't use Sam instead.

"Where's Kevin?" he asks. “Kevn Riley, I mean. Where is he?”

"Either with the captain or stuck in his quarters. Not sure how much trouble he's in for the shit he pulled but it's a lot." Leonard gives up on his backlog and turns off all but one PADD before sitting back. He gives Jim a considering look. "It's been thirteen years since they took you from Tarsus. Do you… remember what happened?"

"Kevin and I were looking for food when he found a blue stone. They wanted it. I don't know why, so I said no when Yon-Rogg asked for it."

He remembers staring up at the Starforce commander, defiant even while tired and hungry and desperate. He'd clutched the blue stone to his chest, leery of this strange pale alien’s insistence on claiming it.

_"What's your name, Terran?"_

_"My name is James Tiber-"_

* * *

"Should I transfer him to the briefing room?"

"My quarters, actually," Pike says, standing up. "Mr. Sulu, you have the conn."

He doesn't miss the funny look Sulu shares with Uhura and Chekov while leaving the bridge. Once on the lift, he allows his shoulders to sag and his head to hang. He is just so _tired_. He's had it up to _here_ with Command’s evasiveness whenever he prods and pushes at his superiors for answers. But he has to play nice to the next rung on the ladder so he raises his head and squares his shoulders before strolling out of the lift.

The intercom is flashing patiently when he enters his quarters. Pike contemplates pouring himself a drink first and smirks thinking about the perks of not installing a holographic comm system on the Enterprise. He ends up deciding he needs a clear head for this particular conversation and sits before switching on the intercom.

"Captain Pike speaking."

_"Chris,"_ Admiral Heihachiro Nogura says. _"I'd have thought you'd comm me sooner."_

"Sir?"

_"You requested permission from Admiral Marcus to read the Kelvin files and then pestered him, Georgiou, Barnett, and Cornwell for access to everything from our first contact with the Kree and Skrulls. What, you thought I wouldn't find out?"_

Pike picks his jaw off the floor. "Well, no, but I didn't think you'd call me out like that. Sir."

_"I admit, I was curious. What did you discover on Cerberus that made you want to dig deeper? Your initial report was very… light on the details. Barnett wanted to push but I knew you had your reasons."_

"I wasn't exactly sure what I'd gotten myself into. I promise I will have a full, detailed report for you as soon as I return to Starbase One."

_"Which means you still can't give one right now."_

"No, sir." Pike presses his lips tightly. How should he start? "Do you know the name Starforce?"

_"General Talos warned us. I understand that they were present on Cerberus when you arrived? Last time they were in Federation space was in 2251, pursuing Talos-"_

"Actually, Starforce was operating in Federation space in 2246."

He can hear Nogura frown from light-years away.

_"And how do you know this?"_

"I have two people on the Enterprise who survived Tarsus IV. They told me they encountered Kree Starforce three days before relief arrived."

_"Does this have anything to do with your first officer accessing the Tarsus files?"_ Nogura asks because of course he knows.

"Yes. One of the survivors is Lieutenant Kevin Riley. He's a junior navigator on the Enterprise. Mr. Spock found a heavily redacted transcript of his testimony and Riley told me the full story a couple hours ago."

_"You mean an account from a child who lost his parents and was severely malnourished and traumatized when Starfleet rescued him."_

"Yes, but I also have a working theory about what was redacted. Now I understand Starfleet wanting to keep the Kree's existence under wraps to protect the Skrulls. I also understand Starfleet not wanting people to know that the son of a Starfleet hero perished on Tarsus IV."

The silence on Nogura's end is telling.

"I know George Kirk was Asgardian," Pike says, emboldened. "I don't know what role it played in James Kirk and Kevin Riley's encounter with the Kree, but the information I gathered-"

_"Those files you read never said George Kirk wasn't human."_

Pike smiles tightly at the intercom. There it is. "I believe my report mentioned apprehending a Kree hostile. Since we knew so little, I asked Medical to take a blood sample and run a few tests. There was a match to a restricted profile and I requested access to it."

_"You mean the Kelvin files."_ Then, _"He's a genetic match to George Kirk."_ And _then_, _"You think he's James Kirk."_

"He _is_ James Kirk, someone who also has a heavily redacted file on record. Is the whole family just full of secrets?"

Nogura chuckles. _"Then you still don't know."_

"Know what?" Pike asks suspiciously.

_"All right. You already know far too much for me to continue playing dumb. I know you want those reports from our first contact with the Kree and Skrulls. Understand that these are for your eyes only. There's a reason why we covered it up."_

"I can't wait to learn why," he says dryly.

_"You'll have access in ten minutes and for twelve hours. I hope they answer the rest of your questions. Goodness knows the other admirals could go about their duties without you pestering them for access to things you're not supposed to know about. Good luck. Nogura out."_

* * *

At the end of the shift, the communications officer turns to Spock and says, "Sir, I have an incoming transmission from New Vulcan."

He's been expecting it. Spock says, "Please transfer it to the briefing room. I will be there shortly."

Three minutes later, he leaves the bridge and heads down to it. He steps inside and tells the computer to lock the door. The intercom on the table is flashing.

He switches it on and says, "This is Spock."'

_"Hello, Spock,"_ the ambassador intones in a voice eerily similar to his. _"I trust you and the crew are well."_

"Given the circumstances, we are."

_"Admiral Nogura contacted me three hours ago. He had… unusual things to say about your current mission. On a routine supply run to the Cerberus colony, you encountered an alien race called the Kree."_

"Yes, they are originally from the Large Magellanic Cloud. I assume the admiral also told you about the Skrulls."

_"In my reality, Governor Mendoza was human. There were no Skrulls and no Kree. It seems this reality was already on a different path when I interfered."_

"But not all things differ from your reality," Spock says. He's pacing, _anticipating_ the direction of this conversation with his older self. "Captain Pike and I still serve on the Enterprise."

_"That is true, though it was with a different crew."_

"The people who were part of your five-year mission into deep space are all here. I saw it as circumstance but you-"

_"Jim Kirk is not on the Enterprise,"_ the ambassador says gravely. _"He did not survive Tarsus IV in this reality."_

"Those reports were inconclusive and without sufficient evidence," Spock says carefully. "His body was never recovered. Officials also disregarded the testimony of a child who befriended him before the massacre. They never verified the child's claims of an event that took place three days before the first responders arrived."

_"What event do you speak of?"_

There is a slight tremble in the old Vulcan's voice. Spock keeps pacing. "Kree soldiers came to Tarsus IV days before Starfleet did. They crossed paths with James Kirk and Kevin Riley. What happened is still unclear but Kirk was never seen again. This particular group of Kree… returned to Federation space several days ago. One of them was apprehended on Cerberus. He is still with us."

Spock waits.

_"Jim is alive."_

Will he ever understand the shock and relief in his own voice? He never heard of Kirk until he and Sulu encountered the elderly Vulcan on Delta Vega. The ambassador divulged very little of his life to Spock, believing the younger Vulcan should forge a future free from interference, but he spoke of Kirk with such fondness and reverence that Spock wondered what sort of impact this man could've had on his life. 

What are the odds that they still manage to meet?

"Yes," he says. "Kirk is on the Enterprise."

_"I…."_ The ambassador's voice quavers. _"May I see him?"_

"He's resting now. We were ordered not to disturb him for at least forty-eight hours."

_"Then I will let him be. How did he come to be with the Kree?"_

"Nobody really knows," Spock says. 

The ambassador sighs. _"I suppose that is not as important as your mission. I assume Jim has a part to play in it.”_

He arches an eyebrow. “He does.”

_“I’m not surprised. Jim always managed to get himself into the thick of things. But if you can, do this old Vulcan a favor. See to it that he survives. I would like to see him again.”_

Spock smiles wryly at the old Vulcan's request. 

"I shall do my best."

* * *

"You wanted to see me?"

Pike turns in his seat as Jim steps inside the briefing room. The captain’s gaze then turns to Leonard, who lingers at the entryway.

"I'm sure you have other duties that need your attention, Dr. McCoy-"

"I want him here," Jim blurts out. This Terran might look trustworthy but Jim can’t be too careful. He only remembered his name forty-eight hours ago, after all.

Pike arches an eyebrow. "I want to review information with you that might be a little too personal, Kirk. You sure you want him to hear it?"

"I'll be close by," Leonard says reassuringly. "And the captain's right. Some things are for your ears only."

Jim squares his shoulders. "Fine."

Leonard leaves the room and Pike motions for Jim to sit. He picks a seat across from the Terran captain and stares expectantly at the man. Pike glances at his PADD, then pushes it aside and looks Jim square in the face.

"How are you holding up, son? Heard it's been a rough couple of days."

Jim's memories are still fractured and they tend to come to him when he's asleep. He never sleeps for long. "I'm fine."

"I also heard you nearly put holes in my ship several times. That doesn't sound like 'fine'."

Who told? Nobody was supposed to know he’s struggling with control over his powers, especially now that his implant doesn’t work properly. He clenches his hands and his knuckles feel hot. "You won't have any more incidents like that again. Captain."

Pike arches an eyebrow. "You're not in trouble. I appreciate your honesty but that's no way to deal with what you went through. I won't pretend to understand but after this is all over, I can get you counseling."

Jim wants to talk about anything else. "You're going to Asgard."

"That we are. Did your… commander tell you anything about it?"

He twitches. Was Yon-Rogg ever really his commander or was the Kree his captor? "Odin's Vault held some of the most powerful relics of power in the cosmos. Gaining control over them would give us the advantage in our final push against the Skrulls and in the impending war with the Shi'ar Empire."

"And that's how you ended up on Cerberus," Pike says. "I don't know anything about this Shi'ar Empire but our goal is to keep Odin's Vault out of Kree hands for everyone's sake, especially the Skrulls'."

"The Skrulls-" He stops, remembering Leonard's furious defense of them. 

"They came to us seeking refuge," Pike says gently yet firmly, gaze unwavering. "I was told they refused to submit to Kree rule and lost their homeworld and empire in the ensuing war, but the Kree didn't stop there. They were eradicating Skrulls from existence, forcing them to flee to this galaxy. Were you even aware?"

"I was told… differently about how the war began," Jim says slowly. "Once we had Talos and eradicated his cells within our border, we'd finally have peace." He thinks about the story he was told about the day Yon-Rogg found him. "He said they killed my parents."

"Now you know that's not true," Pike says. "Think about it. If he lied about the war, what else has he been lying about? It's not much of a stretch to think he lied about your parents, too."

Jim shifts uneasily. Pike is right; if Yon-Rogg lied about Jim’s origins, he probably lied about everything else. It’s painful to consider. He’d looked up to Yon-Rogg, trusted him, _believed_ in him. What does one do when the whole world’s fallen out from under their feet?

Pike notes his silence. He leans forward and adopts a kinder tone. "What do you remember about your family? Your parents?"

"My father is dead," Jim replies. "Mom was never around. She wasn’t there when my brother ran away. Then she dumped me with my aunt on Tarsus IV and never came back."

He waits for some show of sympathy from Pike even though he'd gotten over it a very long time ago, before blight struck the Tarsus colony and Starforce came searching for… something. He pushes the uncertainty away.

"Did your commander say anything else about them?"

Jim cocks his head. "Only that the Skrulls killed them. Which was a lie."

He watches the Terran mull over his response and come to a decision. Pike taps on his PADD, pull something up on it, and then slides it across the table. 

"I showed this to Loki a couple hours ago," he says. "Do you know him? Loki is-"

"I know Loki," Jim says. "I mean, I know _of_ him. We had a briefing on Asgardian history before the mission."

"Right. Well, I showed this to him. Do you know who this is?"

Jim looks down at the face of a man bearing an eerie resemblance to him. The man's hair is short and dark blond, and his eyes are blue like the sky on a cloudless summer afternoon. He wears a dark blue uniform with gold accents and a badge like the one on Pike's uniform.

Something tells him this man is related to him and it definitely isn't Sam.

"Is… is he my father?"

"His name is George Kirk. He was the first officer on the USS Kelvin. On stardate 2233.04, the Kelvin made contact with the Narada, a Romulan ship. The Narada attacked the Kelvin, killing over a hundred people including Captain Robau in the first assault. As Acting Captain, Kirk ordered an evacuation. The attack disabled the ship's autopilot and he stayed behind to protect the shuttles. Your mother was in one of them. She gave birth to you just minutes before your father flew the Kelvin into the Narada."

Sam told Jim what he remembered—Grandpa Tiberius and Uncle Frank sat him down and said something terrible happened, that his mother was fine and he had a baby brother but his father wasn't coming home with them. Jim later learned their father died the day he was born, which was why they never really celebrated his birthday. That day, his resentment toward his mother really took hold.

"I know this story," Jim says shortly. "What of it?"

Pike frowns. "Loki told me an interesting story. If you know your Asgardian history, then you know about the civil war."

"Between Odin's children. I know, everyone who knows anything about anything knows," he says impatiently. "What's your point?"

"George Kirk was Asgardian. Loki told me his real name was Thor Odinson."

Jim takes another look at the image on the PADD. What? That's not right. Yon-Rogg would've said something. No way he would’ve kept quiet about it. "Bullshit."

Pike reaches across the table to open another window on the PADD. "These are the results of the tests we ran on your blood sample. You're Kree and Asgardian. That means your mother is Kree."

The data blurs and he feels hot all over. The faulty control implant behind his left ear pulses in warning but he ignores it. "No she isn't."

"My superiors told me to keep this to myself but you deserve to know the truth. I put together a summary based on the reports I read about the Federation's first encounter with the Skrulls and Kree. You'll want to read it. It'll explain… well, it'll explain just about everything your commander didn't tell you."

He rises to his feet. "You can return it to me once you're done. Just ask the computer for directions to my quarters. If you have questions… I'm always available."

Jim doesn't know how to react. He stays silent, staring at the lab results until Pike leaves the briefing room. Once the Terran is gone, he forcibly dissipates the energy gathering at his fingertips, silencing the implant, and then taps the screen. The PADD shows him previews of all open tabs and he selects the summary. 

_Stardate 2224.126. _

_The USS Faraday, a survey ship, was traveling through the Archanis sector when first officer Faris Robau alerted Captain Lewis Jones to a distress signal coming from somewhere in the section of the Neutral Zone the Federation shares with both the Romulan Star Empire and the Klingon Empire. That signal originated on a planet that previous surveys reported was a Class M but its proximity to the Romulans and Klingons meant we couldn't conduct a formal survey. Jones decided to investigate anyway and personally helmed a shuttle to the planet's surface with Robau, science officer Wendy Lawson, and three security officers…._

* * *

"I may not have been entirely honest."

Everyone slowly looks at Loki.

Pike prods his temple. This latest meeting is off to a _fantastic_ start. "You have ten seconds."

"Don't tell me you don't know where Asgard is!" Quill says. "We've been on this ship for six freaking days-"

"_I_ know how to get to Asgard," Valkyrie says. "That's not the problem."

"Then what is?" Spock asks.

"It's about-"

The door slides open and McCoy enters the briefing room. Trailing him is Kirk, who glances at Pike and nobody else.

"Finally," Valkyrie says softly. Gamora arches an eyebrow at her uncharacteristically kind tone.

"Take a seat, gentlemen," Pike says. "Loki, you were saying?"

Loki is staring at Kirk, who sits next to McCoy and Spock. Valkyrie elbows him. "Ah, right, yes. Where was I?"

"You barely started," she says. Her eyes are still on Kirk. "You're right, he does look like Thor."

"As I was saying," Loki restarts, "I have not been entirely honest about the Vault. Not about the measures Odin took to safeguard its contents from thieves. You still need a child of Odin to get past the seals. I'm talking about what's inside."

"What does that mean?" Quill asks suspiciously. "Is there nothing in there? Is the Vault _empty_?"

"If you'll let me finish," Loki says. "When Thor and I confronted Hela, she retreated to the Vault and activated its defense mechanisms. Things… may have gotten misplaced in the chaos."

"Like what?" Gamora asks.

"You will not be paid the fifty million credits Tivan promised you," he says, "because the Tesseract isn't there."

"_What!_" Quill leaps to his feet. He jabs a finger at Loki. "You’re telling us this now? Then what’s the entire point? Rocket didn’t crash my ship for you to say that!"

"Well, that's the bad news. The good news is, I know where it is."'

Valkyrie is shaking her head. Pike frowns. Whatever the Asgardian is about to say next is definitely _not_ good news.

"Okay then. Tell us where it is. Maybe we won't have to go to Asgard after all."

"We're still going," Valkyrie says. "The Vault didn't just house an Infinity Stone. You'll still get something of value."

"Tivan hired us to retrieve a Stone," Gamora says. "I doubt he'll accept anything else."

"Then good luck getting it from him," Loki says, pointing at Kirk.

"What?" He looks at himself. "What are you talking about? I don't have an Infinity Stone."

"That's because it's inside you," Valkyrie says.

Quill and Gamora stare at Kirk in disbelief. Spock and McCoy share a very confused look, and Pike waits patiently for the impending explanation.

"Bullshit," Kirk retorts.

"Where did you think your powers came from?" Loki says. "You certainly weren't born with them and the Kree tech can’t engineer anything similar."

"But I _was_ born with them."

"Who told you that? The Kree? They lie about everything. I spent enough time in the Vault to know the Tesseract's energy signature. It's the same as your powers. I'm guessing at some point before the Kree found you, you came across it and absorbed its power. That’s probably why they took you."

Kirk's face shutters. "I—I need to go."

He flees the room before anyone can react. The air shivers and shimmers in his wake for a few seconds.

"Let him be, McCoy," Pike says when the doctor rises out of his seat. "And there's a time and place to discuss something like that. This wasn't it."

"Someone had to say it," Loki says. He doesn't look happy with himself. "It might as well be me. And everyone needs to know what's going on here."

"What, like the fact that the guy who nearly killed us twice was powered by an Infinity Stone?" Quill snaps. "How the hell isn't he dead yet?"

"He has a point," Valkyrie says. "Remember Jane?"

"That was another time," Loki says. "And why does everyone think I have the answers?"

"Because you do?" McCoy replies.

Loki waves him off. "This is the bigger story. I took the liberty of going through your ship's databases. Your version of Ragnarok is definitely shittier but the end result is the same—Asgard is destroyed. The question is not if. The question is when, and the answer is now.

"Odin's Vault holds not just some of the most prized and dangerous relics in the cosmos but also the key to ending Asgard. One of Thor's last acts was to retrieve the crown of Surtur, the ruler of Muspelheim. The stories said Surtur would bring about Asgard's end. Thor thought that by storing the crown in the Vault, he could delay Asgard's fate for at least another thousand years."

"How exactly is a crown supposed to destroy a planet?" McCoy asks.

"You place the crown into the Eternal Flame. Surtur is reborn on Asgard and he smashes it to pieces," Valkyrie replies.

"You put the crown in what?"

"Another of Odin's prized artifacts, stolen from Surtur long before intelligent life roamed your planet. It's also in the Vault." At the look on everyone's faces, Loki rolls his eyes and says, "Asgard was not lacking in hubris."

"Why am I not surprised they self-destructed," the doctor mutters.

"I still don’t understand," Gamora says. "Why do this? Why go through all this trouble to destroy your own planet?"'

"Because if we don't," Valkyrie says, "Hela will begin a second war of conquest and raze everything before her."

"_What_."

Loki glowers at Valkyrie. "How about I reveal the information?"

"By dancing around the issue and wasting everyone's time? No. They should know what's really waiting for them on Asgard."

"You'll need to explain," Spock says. "We were led to believe Hela was dead."

"I did not." Loki glares at Quill. "She is quite alive. You just haven't heard from her because she’s been trapped inside the Vault for two hundred years."

"Hela's powers are tied to Asgard's," Valkyrie adds. "As long as it exists, she'll draw strength from it. Eventually she'll become strong enough to break free. Once she does, not even the Kree Empire will be able to stop her."

"That is why we're returning to Asgard," Loki says. "The only way to save you all is to awaken Surtur."

"And you couldn't tell us this sooner because?" Pike asks very, very calmly.

"I had no reason to trust you but we needed a way off Cerberus. It made sense not to tell you the more troubling details until you were fully committed."

"If the Kree had not arrived and you reached Asgard as planned, how were you accessing the Vault?" Spock asks. "Are you not a jotun?"

Loki smiles devilishly. "I'm the Trickster God. I have my ways."

"Then why the hell did we kidnap the Kirk guy in the first place?" Quill asks.

"Someone had to knock on the front door while I went in through the back," Loki replies.

"Are you saying we're decoys in your grand plan?" Pike asks flatly.

"No, just integral to its success," Loki says. "But there are certain parts of it that need fixing if we're getting out of this alive."

"Rocket's good at that," Quill says. "I'll set up a meeting."

"If I'm no longer needed," McCoy begins. He's already halfway out of the briefing room.

"Go," Pike says. "This meeting is over. Quill, Gamora, keep me updated on that meeting. Loki, a word? … I don't appreciate you withholding that kind of information."

"You have my apologies," he replies unapologetically while everyone but Valkyrie leaves the briefing room. "I had to be certain neither you nor the Guardians would interfere with my 'grand plan'."

Pike arches an eyebrow.

"We needed a ride to Asgard. I also needed to know if I was right about James Kirk. I was."

"I really hope you're not just using him to get past the defense mechanisms."

Loki frowns. "I suggest never saying that to my face again. You saw the picture. The resemblance. He's Thor's son."

"I don't think he believed me when I told him," Pike says. "And what you said about the Infinity Stone—you're saying it's _inside_ him?"

"The only sensible conclusion based on the story Kevin Riley told me. He found a blue stone and Kirk held it with little consequence. Kree Starforce found them minutes later. Riley remembered only an explosion. The reasonable conclusion is that something shattered the Stone's physical form and Kirk drew it into his body."

"Right. I'll have to trust your word on that one because I still don't understand these Infinity Stones," Pike says. "What happens afterward? What's your plan?"

"After Asgard is gone?" Loki glances at Valkyrie. "I assume we'll find the other surviving Asgardians and rebuild."

"You know, the Federation always welcomes those seeking refuge," Pike says. "Consider bringing them here."

"Like the Skrulls," Valkyrie says.

"Just like the Skrulls," Pike says. He shrugs and collects his PADD. "Something to keep in mind."

The two Asgardians share another look.

"We'll think about it," Valkyrie finally says. "Thank you."

* * *

Jim watches Kevin scrunch up his nose, trying to remember. He drums the table, waiting and hoping the younger man remembers something, anything, to fill in the gaps in both of their memories.

Kevin's shoulders sag and he opens his eyes. They tell Jim everything.

"I can't," he says. "Everything just… _stops_. It's like something doesn't want me to remember."

Kevin looks around the rec room; the other occupants are all Starfleet crewmen and they're doing their best to ignore the two Tarsus survivors sitting off in a corner. "Maybe Mantis can-"

"No," Jim says. "I'm not going through that again."

"Then I don't know. I'm sorry, Jimmy, I just can't remember what happened next."

Jim drops his gaze to his hands. They glow faintly. "You can't just absorb an Infinity Stone and live."

"But you did," Kevin says.

"I know." Empty-handed and no less confused, he gets up. "Thanks, Kevin."

"Hey, wait. Jimmy-"

He leaves the rec room, jaw clenched against the stupid implant misfiring signals through his body. Energy trails in his wake, startling other crewmen. He goes to the nearest lift and asks it to take him to a lower deck. There's an observation deck that the Terrans rarely visit. He can use the solace to stew in his frustrations.

Not even a second after he sits on the windowsill to watch the ship's warp bubble, someone walks in.

"Neat trick."'

He whirls around, nearly falling off the sill. A Terran is leaning on the entryway, watching the light and energy crackling between his fingertips. Jim immediately dissipates it but not before the lights on the deck flicker in response.

"I can do magic, too," the Terran continues, "but it's more 'I know what number you're thinking, also your opinion on Vulcan haircuts and which Betazoid drama you've queued up on your PADD to watch off-shift.' Name's Mitchell, by the way. Gary Mitchell."

"I don't follow," Jim says warily.

"Hey, I'm not here to mess with you. It's just that I ran into Riley and he seemed really upset. Won't stop thinking about Tarsus IV. If only those blue bastards waited three more days, you know?"

Less than a handful of people know the truth about what happened that day. Jim's hands glow. "How do you know that? Did he tell you?"

"Whoa, let's not do that. I told you, I'm really good at guessing. How do you think I found you?"

"You asked the computer," Jim replies. It's one of the more interesting features on the Enterprise. He wonders if it'll heed his request to not tell anyone his location if they ask. 

"Maybe. But I'm not here about Riley. It's old Sawbones. He's been in a mood and I want him to stop."

Is he talking about Leonard? How does he know that nickname? "You mean Dr. McCoy? Is he okay?"

Mitchell's eyes narrow while searching his face. Did Jim give something away? "Oh he's fine. Just-" Mitchel gestures at his own head. When he doesn't get the reaction he wants, he says, "So you're why he hates that nickname."

"I don't follow."

Mitchell sighs. "Ever heard of ESP? Extrasensory perception… never mind." Mitchell then looks at Jim's hands and apparently has an epiphany. "Your magic trick."

"No, it's an Infinity Stone."

Mitchell doesn't seem to understand it. He just frowns at Jim for longer than is comfortable. "I've been reading everybody else's thoughts about you."

"What?"

"Just… just ask him what I told him before he beamed down to Cerberus," Mitchell says. "I've never been wrong."

He abruptly leaves. Jim stares at his retreating back, even more confused and now also concerned about Leonard. He hasn't seen the doctor since the meeting twenty hours ago, and they haven’t spent any time together since Pike told him the truth about his family. Jim had assumed Leonard was just giving him space to think, to rebuild bits and pieces of himself so that he felt more comfortable in his own skin.

Gary Mitchell suggests otherwise. If he knows the nickname, then he’s known Leonard for a long time and he’d notice something Jim wouldn’t. Plus, Jim’s been stuck in his own head for days. If something was amiss with Leonard, he wouldn’t know. But now that Mitchell brought it up….

He goes to the deck's companel. "Uh, computer? Where's Leonard McCoy?"

_"Dr. McCoy is presently in his quarters."_

"Where is that?"

_"The chief medical officer's quarters are located on Deck 5."_

There's more staring when he walks to the nearest lift. He's the only one not wearing a Starfleet uniform, the only one not conspicuously dressed like the Guardians, Loki, or Valkyrie. His Starforce uniform is still stashed in the medbay and he has no desire to look at it, which leaves him with spare black uniform shirts and trousers designating him as a member of no faction, no place in the cosmos.

The corridor is empty when he arrives at Leonard's door. He knocks and says, "Can I come in?"

It opens and he slips inside. The CMO quarters are almost as spacious as the guest quarters, with room enough to fit in a desk with a computer terminal, a few shelves, a couch, and a table. He looks around at the markers of Leonard's rank on the ship and then notices the doctor standing behind the desk, drink in one hand and PADD in the other.

"Hi," Jim says. "Can I?"

Leonard snorts. "You need permission?"

"It's your space. Isn't it polite to ask?"

"Since when did you start asking for it?"

Jim frowns. No wonder Mitchell sought him out. "What's your problem?"

"I don't have one." Leonard takes a sip. "Just remembering the last time I invited you in."

He flinches. Tension coils in his chest and in his head, and Yon-Rogg's stern voice whispers in his mind:

_"Remember your training."_

He forces himself to exhale and loosen his shoulders, then feels sick. Yon-Rogg has no right to continue living in his head.

"That's not fair," he finally says.

Leonard opens his mouth, then has second thoughts. Grimacing, he sets his drink and PADD down. "You're right, it's not. Keep forgetting you're not Tiber anymore."

What a strange thing to say. "What does that mean? He's right here. I'm Tiber."

He shakes his head. "Tiber was Kree Starforce. Everything about him was a lie to control you. I'm not saying you're absolved of whatever you did, but you believed you were someone else the entire time you were with them. Now you're not." Leonard looks away. "Now you're James Kirk."

"So? What does that change?"

The doctor huffs. "Did you hear anything I said? I know Tiber and he's gone because he wasn't real. I don't know anything about Kirk."

"Yes, you do. I was Tiber for thirteen years. That doesn't disappear just because I remember who I was before." His hands glow but the implant isn't warning him. "I didn't have these when I was Jim, but I have them now and I'm Jim again. I'm Jim Kirk _and_ Tiber. You can't pretend you don't know me."

"I'm not. I'm being realistic. I suggest you try it."

He won't accept this. He refuses. "You know me, Bones, Sawbones, come on-"

Leonard twitches. "I told you not to call me that."

"Why? Because _Tiber_ did? You've always been 'Bones'. Doesn’t matter who I am now. You’ve been ‘Bones’ since I was stuck on your couch for five days eight years ago. What does that tell you about Jim Kirk?"

"He's a stubborn bastard who doesn't know when to quit," Leonard quips. His eyes are bright despite his sardonic tone.

That was one of Yon-Rogg's chief complaints but he's not here, is he? "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Is that why you came here?" Leonard asks, leaning against his desk and folding his arms over his chest. "To get on my nerves?"

"Uh, no." He wants to ask the question Mitchell told him to ask but he realizes they first have to address that night last year. "Not intentionally? Listen, what happened last year… you're right." 

He scowls at Leonard's arched eyebrow. "I know when I fucked up, okay? I lied to you and yeah, I did use you. I hacked into your PADD to download everything Starfleet had on the Narada. Those were my orders. That's why I was on Terra. But everything else that happened that night wasn't a lie. I won't apologize for that."

Leonard sighs. "How do I know?"

"Bones," Jim says, "nobody knew I met you that night. I lied to my commander and to the Supreme Intelligence. Do you know what would've happened if they found out? I wouldn't be here right now. They'd have taken every memory from me and kept me from returning to your galaxy. I'd never see you again. I couldn't accept that."

Another sigh. "Jim-"

"What did Mitchell tell you before you went to Cerberus?"

Leonard jerks his head up. "You talked to _Gary_? What for?"

"He came looking for me. He's worried about you. Said you weren't being yourself and I had to do something. Is he telepathic? He knew things about me and Kevin that nobody should."

"I think he's half Betazoid and needs to mind his own damn business." Leonard frowns. "What did he talk about?"

"What did he tell you before you went to Cerberus?"

Leonard has to think for a bit. "He said I'd find what I'm looking for. A planet under attack by genocidal aliens wasn't it."

"We're not-" Why is he defending the Kree? Nothing they—or he—did or say is worth justifying. "Then what were you looking for?"

The annoyed expression on Leonard's face holds for a few seconds, then abruptly falls away. He looks elsewhere. "You know how I feel about space."

Jim looks around. "If no one told you already, we're on a spaceship."

"We sure are, smart-ass. Everyone thinks I joined Starfleet because of the divorce. I told you about that, didn't I?"

"You did."

"It was ugly and awful and I wanted to get as far away from her as possible. Went on a fucking bender and ended up at some podunk shipyard bar in Riverside, Iowa-"

"Riverside? I lived there," Jim realizes.

"Seriously? Shit. Well, I was at the bar, drowning in cheap booze, and a herd of Academy cadets rolled in. I'd made up my mind to leave but something about them… made me stay. Reminded me of when I was that young and dumb and hopeful, and that made me think about the night I found you. Started wondering where you were and what you were up to. Maybe space wasn't so bad after all, if that's where you came from. Maybe I'll see you again. Except you weren't even in this galaxy."

"It's the thought that counts," Jim says.

"My thoughts were drunk. Next thing I knew, Pike sat down at my booth. Didn't want his pity or scolding for glowering at his kids but no, he wanted to _recruit_ me. Bartender told him my sad little story because no one around me knows how to keep their mouth shut, and he decided to take a chance on me. He made his pitch and I thought why the hell not. Space might be full of disease and danger and darkness, but it's better than staying on Earth.

"It's better than spending the rest of my life wondering if I'll ever see you again. Of course, next time I do, it's at a bar off-campus back on Earth. The fucking irony."

"I wasn't trying to prove anything."

"No, you were just trying to steal our shit," Leonard drawls.

"Not like we got anything useful out of it." Jim considers the Terran's more relaxed stance, the slack in his shoulders and the softer expression. He steps forward. "So, that's your way of saying you went into space even though you hated it because of… me?"

Leonard sighs like he regrets the decision. "Yeah, guess you could say that."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

Leonard looks up at him, searching his face for answers. Jim wonders what the questions are.

"Part of me wants to believe I did. Part of me still isn't sure it was all a lie."

That night at the bar, Leonard told him everything that happened after he left Terra, including the marriage, the divorce, and Starfleet. He didn't go into detail but it was clear the divorce still hurt him, and Jim made everything worse by taking what trust Leonard had left and throwing it back in his face. It's no wonder he doesn't believe anything Jim says.

"I'm sorry," Jim says. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. You deserve better."

"I just need you to know that I don't appreciate being lied to," Leonard replies. "I don't appreciate being used. So whatever happens next, you better be upfront about it."

"Don't really like it myself," Jim says wryly, "so I understand."

Finally, Leonard smiles. It's a tired one but genuine, and Jim's heart swells at the sight. "Aren't we a couple of messed up fucks who got tangled up in some intergalactic mess involving a magic stone and Scandinavian fairy tales."

"Infinity Stone. Come on, if the Federation is getting involved at least get the name right."

Leonard scowls. "Give me some credit for remembering that much. I'm still wrapping my head around the whole 'Skrulls are a thing and the Federation's been hiding them for decades', never mind that Scandinavian gods are real, Ragnarok is also apparently real, and the guy I dragged out of a crater eight years ago isn't even a normal alien but the son of the god of thunder."

Jim makes a show of thinking about it. "That's fair." He still doesn't believe anything Pike said about his parents, no matter how much sense the reports made. "You forgot about the Kree."

"That was on purpose," Leonard says. "Never liked them since they showed up to my apartment unannounced, knocked me out, and kidnapped my patient."

Jim huffs a laugh. It wasn't a memory he liked to dwell on because he'd never felt fear like the terror that wracked him when Minn-Erva held her sniper muzzle to Leonard's head and asked the question. He'll never know why Yon-Rogg decided to spare the Terran. Maybe he did it as a favor to Jim. Maybe he did it to show how much power and control he had over Jim.

Well, Tiber. Yon-Rogg had control over Tiber. He has absolutely none over Jim.

"I'll promise you this," Jim says, swaying closer to Leonard. "Jim Kirk has nothing to do with the Kree. He's not lying to anyone on their behalf and they sure as shit aren't getting in the way of anything he does or wants."

Up close, Leonard's hazel eyes are dark and he smells faintly of that smoky Terran liquor he calls 'bourbon'. He leans forward until his face is just inches from Jim's and his voice is low and rich with a distinct drawl that makes Jim's toes curl and his throat dry. "Is that so?"

"Yeah."

He doesn't know who made the first move and he doesn't care; he'd forgotten how Leonard's mouth feels and tastes, and he's desperate to reacquaint himself with it. He clutches Leonard's face and kisses hard, tongue pressing against his and tasting that liquor and bittersweet flavor. He presses up against the man, shivering when Leonard's hands fall on his hips and drag him even closer. He's burning up and aching for contact, for the feel of Leonard's hands on his body, pushing him up against the wall or holding him down in bed as Leonard fucks him slow and sweet.

Leonard is apparently on the same page. He kisses Jim and then pushes him back before pulling off his blue Starfleet shirt. Jim stumbles along, dazed, and then realizes where they're headed. He grins and sheds his own shirt. He only has the one layer and waggles his eyebrows when he sees Leonard staring at his body. It never fails.

Leonard notices and scowls, face red. "You're insufferable."

"I know," he replies blithely. "And you love it."

"God help me, I do," Leonard says. "Now get on the bed and take your pants off."

Jim is more than happy to oblige.

* * *

"That's a terrible plan! Who came up with it?"

"He did." Quill points at an unamused Loki. "Because _someone_ didn't tell us a murderous Asgardian was hiding inside the Vault all this time."

"If you knew, would you have continued on your quest or left us to the Kree-"

"How? Rocket crashed my ship! We'd have to steal the Helion to get off that planet and did I tell you how many times Korath messed up my name? He even shouts it so everyone can hear. Do you know how embarrassing that is?"

Gamora rolls her eyes. "If you bring this up again, I will kick you out the airlock. Can we focus? We're only two days away from Asgard and need a plan that works."

"Yes, I would very much like to continue devising such a plan," Spock agrees while prodding his temple. "Perhaps if you explain what Hela is capable of, we can work around it."

Loki and Valkyrie glance at each other. After several seconds of aggressive gestures and glares, Loki says, "Your Nordic tales call her the goddess of death. Also, my daughter. Let me be clear—I don't have any children. She's my _sister_-"

"Adoptive sister," Nebula says.

"-and the one-time heir to Odin's throne. She was," and here Loki pauses to collect himself. "She was commander of Asgard's armies during the conquest of the Nine Realms. That was long before Thor and I were born. The war made her bloodthirsty and ruthless, and inflated her ego to a ridiculous degree."

"That's saying something, coming from Loki," Valkyrie says.

Loki glares at her. "Hela believed the throne, like the Realms, was hers by right. When Odin made Thor his heir on his deathbed, she decided to take it by force."

"Thor trapped Hela in the Vault over two hundred years ago," Valkyrie says, "but so long as Asgard stands, she lives. For millennia, she directed all her power into conquering in the name of Asgard but now she's had those two centuries to gather her strength for herself. When we free her, she’ll be almost unstoppable."

"I suddenly have very little interest in visiting this Vault," Drax declares.

"I am Groot," Groot agrees.

"Come on, we're talking fifty million credits," Quill says.

"You value fifty million credits more than my life?" Drax asks.

"We're not even getting all fifty million because _the Stone isn't there_," Rocket adds.

"I agree with the green one," Scott pipes up. "Nobody put me on any away team roster."

"The away team roster will be determined shortly, Mr. Scott," Spock says.

"I'm just saying," the chief engineer replies, slumping in his seat with his arms folded tightly.

"I don't blame you," Loki says. "Your Nordic tales were right about her title. She is the goddess of death for a reason. I… imagine there are still bodies lying around from the war. She can reanimate them and add to her numbers. It's how Asgard claimed their Nine Realms."

Everyone stares at him. Rocket jabs a finger in his direction. "He thinks he's funny."

"Do I look glaikit?" Scott says. "Next you’ll say there’s a transwarp drive in your fancy Vault."

"Hypothetically, it is possible," Spock muses. "Nanobots are capable of animating or reanimating lifeforms, though for obvious ethical reasons we do not use them for that purpose. But I assume we're not discussing nanotechnology."

"That's even worse," Rocket says. "I've done some shit and even I don't stoop that low."

"Asgardians aren't bound to your moral and ethical standards," Loki replies. "I suggest that whatever plan we agree on, nobody dies around her. Third-" And a dagger materializes in his hand. Everyone flinches. "She can conjure weapons. How many depends on her strength at any given time—and she's had years to gather it."

"The only one of us who's remotely capable of standing their ground against her is James Kirk," Valkyrie says. She looks around the briefing room. "Wait. Has he not been here the entire time? Where is he?"

The intercom suddenly flashes and Spock leans over to switch it on. "This is Spock."

_"Mr. Spock, is everyone present?"_ Pike asks.

"Kirk is not here. Valkyrie insists that he be present for this meeting as well-"

_"He's with me. Just received a priority one call from Command. I'll explain once I get there. Pike out."_

Everyone stares at the intercom as Spock switches it off.

"That doesn't sound good," Mantis ventures.

"No, it is not," Spock says, frowning. "We should wait for them to arrive before continuing this discussion."

Five minutes of awkward fidgeting pass before the door slides open and Pike strides in with Kirk. Spock arches an eyebrow when Kirk takes a seat next to the captain while Loki frowns at the apparent slight.

"Was anything resolved or no?" Pike asks.

"We were discussing Hela's strengths in hopes of countering them," Spock says.

"Didn't the meeting start almost an hour ago?" Kirk asks.

"Yeah, and you weren't here for any of it so don't even start," Rocket shoots back.

"Enough," Pike says. "I received word from Command that a fleet is gathering in the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. And no, they're not Klingons. The specs of the unidentified fleet match those of the Kree ship the Enterprise scanned. What was the name again?"

"The Dark Aster," Spock says.

"Which means the Accusers are preparing to invade the Federation," Kirk says. "I don't know if it's to continue purging Federation space of the Skrulls or track us to Asgard."

"How do they plan to accomplish that?" Spock asks. "We are still at warp."

"They're not tracking your ship," Kirk says. He touches a spot behind his left ear and grimaces. "They're probably tracking this control implant. It's how they… it's one of the ways the Kree controlled me."

Gamora drags a hand down her face. "And you're telling us this _now_?"

"I thought my fuck-up fried it!" Kirk exclaims. "Besides, I had no reason to say anything to you. And then after… all of that, I had things to figure out."

Quill mutters under his breath and Mantis elbows him hard. "Ow! What the hell?"

"That's none of your business," she replies. "Or should I tell Ga-"

"No! Shh!"

Pike manages not to roll his eyes. "Are you done? Thank you. Command is calling in every available starship to patrol our side of the Neutral Zone. We've also been in talks with the Klingon High Council. Chancellor L'Rell promised their warbirds to defend against a Kree invasion. Apparently they hate the Kree more than they hate us."

"Command gave you orders to go to the Neutral Zone," Spock realizes. "Are they aware of our mission?"

"Yes and no," Pike replies. "They know our current assignment is to keep dangerous weapons out of Kree hands. They don't know he's sitting next to me."

"And if we don't stop Hela from breaking out of the Vault, you'll have an even greater threat than the Kree to contend with," Valkyrie says. "You must continue to Asgard."

Spock and Scott look at Pike, who sighs and nods his understanding. "I know."

"Captain, you can't be serious," Scott says.

"I'll accept full responsibility," Pike says. "I don't want Starfleet fighting two wars on two fronts. Nobody does. I ordered Uhura to ignore all future communiques from Command until this is over." He looks around the briefing room. "I hope you understand the gravity of this snowballing situation. Tell me we have an actual plan so that I won't look like a fool when I have to answer to a tribunal."

Furtive glances criss-cross the room. Pike sighs and sits back. "Did we settle on anything besides Loki using everyone as bait to draw his sister out while he sneaks in to start a chain reaction that destroys an entire planet?"

* * *

"Can we talk?" Jim asks after Pike ends the meeting.

Loki startles at the request—or Jim talking to him after spending most of his time around Starfleet crewmembers—and looks him over. "To me?"

"Yes. And maybe Valkyrie, too," he adds, glancing at the Asgardian lingering nearby.

"You can call me Brunnhilde," she says with a fond smile. When Quill gives her a wounded look, she adds, "Don't even think about it, Star-Earl."

"_Earl_? Are you serious? Gamora, did you hear-"

Gamora grabs him by the collar and drags him out of the briefing room. Pike rolls his eyes at the loud protests about her ripping the seams of his red jacket. Halfway out the door, he says, "Let me know if you need anything, Kirk."

"Yes, sir."

The door slides shut, leaving him, Loki, and Brunnhilde alone. He wonders if they should sit.

"You're adjusting well," Loki observes after an uncomfortable few seconds.

"He's been helpful," Jim says. He wonders how to start this conversation. "He told me what happened to my family. My parents, my brother, the people I knew before I went to Tarsus IV."

"What did you learn?"

"Sam left Earth on a transport ship when I was twelve. No one's seen or heard from him since. My mother resigned from Starfleet one week after Starforce took me and disappeared. The people I knew as Grandpa Tiberius and Uncle Frank were Starfleet officers who served with my parents on the USS Kelvin."

"Must've been quite the revelation," Loki observes.

"You could say that." He huffs. "Feels like my whole life was a lie. My family's not what I thought we were, Yon-Rogg just lied about everything… how do I know what's real?"

"Trust your instincts," Brunnhilde says while shimmying onto the table. She takes out a flask and sips from it. "They never wronged me. And I know Pike doesn't lie. What else did he say?"

"That he wasn't supposed to tell me some of the things he told me," Jim says, thinking about the files Starfleet kept on his family. "Sam always said we were different. He was stronger than the other kids and always got in trouble for showing off. We never got sick, never got hurt. I thought we were lucky. Was that because our dad's Asgardian?"

"Could also be your Kree side," Brunnhilde says. "Your mother never said anything to you?"

Jim didn't cause much trouble until he was twelve and couldn't stop Sam from leaving home. No one had reason to warn him, but that might be because nobody looked too closely at the weird weather that rolled in whenever his mother left or returned home from space. "She… wasn't around much. Guess I reminded her too much of my dad."

"I can see that," she says. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I got over it a while ago. "He had a point, didn't he?" Pike saw the reports on Starfleet's first encounter with the Skrulls and Kree. It was the same day they met Thor. I thought you'd want to know what happened."

Loki leans on the table next to Brunnhilde. "I'm all ears."

"Same," she says. "I'm down for a story."

"Well, _thirty years ago, the USS Faraday picked up a distress call from a planet in the Neutral Zone between the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulans. Captain Lewis Jones decided to answer despite the risks and the ship tracked the call to an unidentified planet in the Yridia star system. Jones and an away team of five went down to the planet's surface. They discovered the Skrulls almost immediately. They were on the run and in a bad way, so Jones ordered the Faraday to send down supplies and a medical team._

_"Then Kree Starforce arrived. They were led by a pink Kree commander and told Jones and his men to hand over the Skrulls. Jones refused. There was a standoff and then someone spooked. A Kree warrior fired their weapon and Jones fell. The Kree commander tried to stop her men but a battle broke out. First officer Faris Robau and the rest of the away team were barely holding their ground when a thunderstorm suddenly appeared."_

"Thor," Brunnhilde says, looking down at Loki. "He was there."

_"He'd been protecting the Skrulls as they traveled through the Klingon Empire. He helped Starfleet fight Starforce but the Kree commander was the one who made them leave. She'd turned on her own people. Robau, who was now Acting Captain, had the Faraday beam aboard every Skrull as well as Thor and the Kree commander, Mar-Vell. They returned to the Federation. A few months later, George Kirk appeared on the USS Kelvin as an officer under Captain Robau."_

"And Mar-Vell?" Loki asks, though there's a knowing look in his eyes. "What became of her?"

Jim smiles tightly. _"She also joined Starfleet. She'd become friends with the Faraday's science officer Wendy Lawson, and appeared on the Kelvin roster as Winona Lawson."_ He pauses. "The Supreme Intelligence told me a Kree commander once betrayed the Kree and threw everything away for the Skrulls. I think they were talking about my mother."

"They knew what you were," Brunnhilde says. "That's fucked up."

"I wouldn't put it past them," Loki says. "I recall Kevin Riley saying she searched for you after the Tarsus incident."

"He said she asked him about me, then left. Then she resigned from Starfleet and disappeared."

Loki looks at him strangely. "You're not upset she never looked for you."

"Like I said, she was never really around so I'm used to it. Besides, what was she going to do, storm Hala and take me back by herself? She probably thought Starforce was onto her and decided it was better to vanish."

"That’s a terrible shame," Loki says. Brunnhilde arches an eyebrow at him. "I know there's a chance neither of us will survive what's to come but if we outlive Ragnarok, I want to tell you about Thor and Asgard."

"Me, too," Brunnhilde says. "Our stories are yours. You should know them."

Jim smiles tentatively. There might be a place for him after all. "Thank you."

Loki smiles in return, then coughs to hide it before turning to Brunnhilde. "Speaking of Asgard."

The Valkyrie glowers at him, then empties the rest of the flask's contents into her mouth. "Fine, I'll tell him. Let’s go."

Jim glances between them suspiciously. "Tell who what?"

* * *

"Are all Asgardians like this?" Pike demands twenty minutes later in the captain's quarters. "They don't bother explaining important details until the last minute, like the fact we're _not actually going to Asgard_?"

Jim glances at Spock, whose only expression of disbelief is the slightly raised angle of his left eyebrow. Most of his attention is still on his PADD; on it is a modified star chart sent by the Enterprise's chief navigator Chekov. Jim shrugs in solidarity and then leans over to see what the Vulcan is looking at.

Brunnhilde's smile is a grimace. "We may have developed some trust issues over the years."'

"And we're the ones taking you there," Pike snaps. "You need to tell me where we're going right now or I'm dropping you off at the nearest starbase."

"I thought we already discussed why that would be a terrible idea," Loki says.

Pike glowers at him. 

"I don't understand," Spock says, turning in his seat to look at the Asgardian. "How is Asgard in Federation space yet not in it?"

"It's… difficult to explain," Brunnhilde says. "Asgard is protected by a barrier. Most ships or people can't cross it without permission, though Loki says he's found weak points. It's much easier going through her gatekeeper. Once you have permission to enter Asgard, he opens the Bifrost to let you cross the barrier."

"The what?" Pike asks.

Loki pivots to Brunnhilde. "What did Jane call it?"

"The Einstein-Rosen bridge."

Pike blinks and then looks at Spock, who says, "A wormhole. Are you saying that Asgard is capable of creating them at will?"

"It's more complicated than that," Brunnhilde replies. "But yes, the Bifrost is a wormhole. You'll have to travel on it by foot. No ships."

Pike shakes his head. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I told you, we have trust issues," Brunnhilde replies. "And I had to protect the survivors. The gatekeeper travels with them. If everyone knew where he was, then that puts the people in danger."

Pike hems and haws. "Okay, that’s fair. Who’s this gatekeeper?"

"Heimdall. He tells me where I can find more lost Asgardians and I bring them to him. It’s how I found Loki."

"Pretty sure it was I who found you," he replies. "Right now, Heimdall is on a planet within your borders. What's the name again?"

"According to Chekov, it's Pollux IV," Spock says. "A Class M planet not currently inhabited by any colony or intelligent species."

"Your information is wrong but we didn't want attention," Brunnhilde says. "The idea was to lay low until we found every last Asgardian, then find a suitable home that was out of sight, out of mind. Then I found Loki on Sakaar and he told me about Hela. We were returning to Pollux IV when our ship stopped at Cerberus."

"Okay, fine. I can get the secrecy," Pike says. "But do you know the bind you put us in? Our plan was made with the assumption that the transporter room could do the work for us. Now you're telling me that we have to send the away team down to Pollux and go to Asgard by some other means. What happens if the plan goes south and we need backup or extraction? What happens if this—this Bifrost closes without warning?"

"That does complicate things," Loki tells Brunnhilde.

She scowls. "Then get Gamora and Quill."

They aren't impressed with the new information either. Quill immediately says, "I need to call Yondu."

"Yondu Udonta?" Jim asks. Korath used to rant about the ex-slave when he was a young Starforce recruit. "Isn't he a Ravager captain?"

"Wait, you're calling mercenaries and pirates for help?" Pike asks.

"Listen, they might be both of those but they're also our best chance of standing a chance against Starforce. Did I say 'chance' twice? Whatever. Yondu has the numbers. He also owes me a favor."

"I think it's the other way around," Gamora says.

Quill stares at her. "Fine, he gets a cut of the pay when this is over. Either way, we need all the help we can get. Hey, how about your Starfleet? They really can't send any ships over?"

"All available starships are currently patrolling the Neutral Zone in case the Kree decide to launch an attack," Spock reminds him.

"Shit, I forgot," Quill says. "How long do we have?"

"We will reach Pollux IV in twenty-seven hours," the Vulcan replies.

"Shit. I don't know if—I'll comm him right now. Where's Rocket? He's still in the lower decks?"

"He practically lives there," Gamora says, then tells Pike and Spock, "Good luck getting him off your ship.

"Wonderful. And this meeting's over," Pike says and shoos everyone out of his quarters. "Need to make some calls and lie my ass off to some admirals."

Jim follows Loki and Brunnhilde outside but stops when Spock says his name. He turns to the first officer in surprise. "Yes?"

"Once the dust settles, "Spock says, eyes flicking between him and the lingering Asgardians, "we should talk. Did Captain Pike tell you what took place in Federation space last year?"

Jim ponders his reply. There are so many ways to answer and they'll all invite more questions. "I… heard that the Enterprise's shakedown didn't go smoothly."

The corner of Spock's mouth twitches. "That is putting it mildly. I want to tell you about it because of someone we met during her maiden voyage. He may have answers for the series of events that occurred on the day you were born."

What? He can't be talking about the USS Kelvin. Didn’t Pike tell him everything there was to know about it? "But I know what happened. Pike told me."

"Not _why_ it happened," Spock says. "Not what might have been if none of it happened."

Jim frowns. "What does that mean?"

"It is best if he explains," Spock says, "because you will not believe me if I told you myself."

Spock walks away, leaving Jim with a headache and too many questions he doesn't have time for. Just how complicated is his story?


	4. Ragnarok Redux

"Or you can stay on the ship," Jim says again while watching Leonard check his medical tricorder. He sits on the doctor's desk in the medbay, drumming fingers on the control panel on the inside of his left forearm. "You don't need to be on the away team."

"Or maybe I do because I'm the chief medical officer and those people might need medical attention."

"But Brunnhilde said Asgardian physiology wouldn’t be in any of your texts-"

"I know what she said, I was there. And even if that’s true, I have humans and a Vulcan to look after." Leonard stops packing his medkit to jab a finger at Jim. "And I don't appreciate the insinuation that a doctor shouldn't be in the field. I passed every combat training class at the Academy and I survived the Narada. I also got out of Cerberus just fine. So don't think you're changing my mind."

"But-"

"Keep this up and I'll show you what a doctor can _really_ do," Leonard says darkly. "This better not be because I'm human. I don't see you giving others the same crap."

"That's not what I mean," Jim complains. He picks up a hypospray and turns it over in his hands. "I'm saying I don't know what's out there and I don't want to see you in the middle of it."

Leonard sets his tricorder aside. "You've no idea what I've seen and done. Just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I don't get my feet wet every now and then, never mind Pike always dragging me along whenever we come across a brand new planet. So don't worry about me, kid. And give me that, it's not a toy."

Jim silently hands over the hypospray and resumes fiddling with his uniform's control panel. Brunnhilde had suggested donning the Kree Starforce uniform because nothing Starfleet offers can protect him as effectively. He'd looked at the silver, green, and black colors and decided they need to change but can't settle on a color scheme.

He looks up when he notices the ongoing silence and sees Leonard watching the changing hues with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not wearing Starforce colors," Jim declares while his face is lit with neon lights. He resumes searching but comes up with nothing. Annoyed, he kills the panel and all color fades, turning the suit black. He hops down onto his feet and asks, "Ready?"

"Yeah." Leonard shoves his communicator in his belt and tucks the kit under his arm. "… wait."

Jim turns around and Leonard kisses him. Jim returns it before he can pull away and Leonard nearly drops his medkit shoving Jim up against the wall. A few seconds later, the communicator beeps, reminding them they're on the clock. Jim plucks it out of Leonard's belt while the doctor tries to collect himself.

He flips it open and grins at Leonard before saying, "Kirk here."

_"I was under the impression that this is Dr. McCoy's communicator,"_ Spock says without missing a beat.

Jim's really starting to like this unflappable Vulcan. "He's on his way, Spock. What about the rest of the team?"

_"We're in the shuttlebay. I suggest arriving before the captain does. Spock out."_

Jim hands the communicator back to a mortified Leonard and strides out of the office. "You heard him."

"You're a menace," Leonard loudly declares.

The first stage of the plan involves taking a smaller spacecraft down to Pollux IV to rendezvous with Asgard's gatekeeper, Heimdall. Nebula is piloting the ship, which Sulu said had once belonged to a black market trader known simply as "Mudd". Rocket is loading several cases in it with help from Groot and Drax while the others mill around, waiting for Pike and Quill to arrive. 

"Nice suit," the android calls out when Jim and Leonard enter the shuttlebay. She's lounging around on a pile of cases, eating a turnip.

"It's the same one," Jim says, baffled, while Leonard asks, "Is that a turnip?"

"I found it best not to ask," Mantis says.

One of the Starfleet officers Pike assigned to the away team is the chief communications officer, Uhura. She and Spock are modifying some equipment, which consists mainly of him handing her whatever tools she needs. She's their point of contact between the away team and the Enterprise, whose sole mission is to protect Pollux IV if the Kree ever show up.

Brunnhilde walks up to Jim while he watches Uhura take a soldering tool to a communicator. The Valkyrie is wearing different armor now, white with an opalescent sheen and a short blue cape. She flashes Leonard a smile and asks Jim, "How are you holding up?"

"What? Me? I'm fine. Really."

She looks him over. "You're meeting your father's people for the first time. For the first time, they'll know what became of Odin's children. It won't be easy."

"As long as they're nothing like the Kree, I’m good," Jim says. "If Thor's my father-"

"He is."

"-then what does that make me to them?"

She frowns. "I don't know. Loki and I talked about it but nothing matters while the witch is still alive."

"Hela?"

"A witch," she says. "I lost my legions to her. I lost my beloved to her. I lost Asgard to her. She'll pay for everything she took from us."

A low murmur rolls through the shuttlebay and they turn to see Pike stepping out of the lift with Quill. Quill immediately breaks away to talk to the other Guardians while Pike beckons to Jim and Brunnhilde. 

"Listen up," Pike says to the Starfleet away team, Jim, and Brunnhilde. "We're on schedule but there's a good chance this goes south. One hour ago, half of the Kree fleet warped without warning and the trail suggests they're headed for this system. Starbase 12 is on red alert but they can't help us. Nobody can. So whatever we need to do, we do it fast."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Loki declares. He definitely wasn't standing next to Leonard a second ago. "Time to leave, captain."

"Agreed," Pike says and looks around for the chief engineer. "Mr. Scott! You have the conn."

"Aye, sir!" the Terran calls back. He turns to Rocket and points at the modified spacecraft. "If you can, make sure this comes back to us intact. I want to see your work."

"I make no promises."

Gamora looks suspiciously between them while Scott leaves. "Since when did you two start getting along?"

"A while ago. He's pretty smart for a Terran," Rocket says while closing a case and pushing it to Groot. "There's this Terran drink called Scotch, you should try it. He swears you can set it on fire but won't show me because 'it's too expensive'. I'm sneaking into his room after this is over. Want to test it out."

"No, you're not."

Everyone piles inside the ship. Once the shuttlebay doors open, Nebula steers the ship out and to the coordinates Brunnhilde gave her. Pollux IV is below them; Spock calls it a Class M planet, meaning it’s suitably habitable for most species that thrive in a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. It's a lush green planet, ideal for establishing a new home for a homeless people.

The air inside the ship is tense but not stressful. Small chatter bounces around and things latch onto and click into place as Rocket assembles weapon after weapon after weapon. Jim sidles over to Leonard, who's staring very hard at the handheld in his hands. Its setting glows blue but Jim doesn't know what that means.

"You sure that thing can kill?" Jim asks. "It's so small."

"Only when I throw it," Leonard says dryly. "Phasers have two settings - stun and kill. Starfleet isn't into shooting to kill so it's set to stun."

"Not this time," Jim says. "Not if Hela is everything Loki and Brunnhilde said she is."

It takes twenty minutes to descend through Pollux IV's atmosphere and land. As soon as they do, Nebula spots something on the ship's scanners.

"Something is approaching us," she says warily.

"Some_one_," Brunnhilde says and hits the button to open the ramp. "Let's go."

Pollux IV is idyllic. The sky and water are blue, and the flora comes in lush green shades with vibrant flowers. The air is thinner than Jim expected or likes but he can tolerate it and nobody else seems bothered. Leonard and Spock have their tricorders out, taking readings, while Uhura relays their status to the Enterprise. Mantis wanders away from the group to admire the flowering plants, and Rocket and Groot are hauling cases out of the ship. Everybody else is watching where Brunnhilde is going.

"What on earth…." Pike utters.

The ground slopes downward to a lake and a clearing. A crumbling stone structure stands in an abandoned courtyard. It looks vaguely familiar but Jim can't place it. Every Starfleet officer looks baffled by it.

"I'm either hallucinating or that's the Parthenon," Leonard says. "Is it? Am I seeing things?"

"No, I see it, too," Uhura replies. "How did it get here? Reports said nothing about advanced societies living on Pollux IV."

"They do not," Spock says. "However, that person may have answers."

He points at the man emerging from the shadows of the building to greet Brunnhilde. He is tall and imposing, dark-skinned like Korath, and his eyes glint like gold even from a distance. He is dressed plainly and looks as though he'd seen hard times. A giant sword is strapped to his back. Even from a distance, Jim feels the energy radiating from it. It's no ordinary weapon.

"Heimdall!" Loki hollers while half-jogging down the hill after Brunnhilde. Distance blurs the rest of his words to Asgard's gatekeeper.

After several seconds, Brunnhilde turns and waves for them to join the Asgardians. Jim heads down to the courtyard with Leonard and the others. He meets Heimdall's golden gaze and watches it narrow, then widen in recognition.

"He is alive," Heimdall says like he _knows_ Jim—except Jim never met him.

Brunnhilde beckons him over while saying, "You need to tell him."

"Tell me what?" Jim asks warily. He shifts uneasily as Heimdall looks him over.

"I am grateful to see you here, James Kirk, son of Thor," Heimdall says. "For years, I watched you and your brother grow and grow apart. I saw a blight ravage the Federation colony and the Kree come in search of the Space Stone. I saw what happened when you encountered Yon-Rogg and Starforce.

"I saw a Terran, one of Governor Kodos's men, try to shoot you to silence you. He struck the Stone instead. I lost sight of you afterward and feared you had died. Few if any survive direct contact with an Infinity Stone."

_What?_

Kevin was the only one who remembered an explosion but neither of them knew why. How did Heimdall know? "You saw it? All of it? How?"

"I can see what I wish where I wish it," Heimdall intones and his eyes brighten for a moment. "But I cannot see what an Infinity Stone possesses. We Asgardians are not all-powerful, though some of us like to think it."

"Ha ha," Loki says. "Also means I was right. That’s why the Kree took you.”

It explains _everything_. Jim touches the broken implant behind his ear. All those years he thought Yon-Rogg cared about him, and the Kree commander only wanted to control the Stone that he didn’t even know was in him. He clenches his hands tightly but can’t withhold the burst of cosmic fire. Brunnhilde raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment. 

"Where are they now?" Jim asks.

"In pursuit. They are following you."

"I know," he says coldly.

"They will be here in a matter of hours. You have little time to waste."

Brunnhilde sighs. "Guess we'll have to go with Plan B." She turns to watch Rocket, who's assembling the third of his new gadgets. "He's going to love this."

* * *

"There never was a Plan B," Rocket says nonchalantly while putting together his fourth anti-aircraft gun. "I just called it that to sound smart."

"If I knew that was your only plan-" Pike begins.

"If you had a better idea, you should've said something," he says. "This was what I said and this was what everyone agreed on. So we're sticking to it. Hey, it worked before."

"Against Yondu, maybe," Quill says. "Pike isn't Yondu. And don’t pin this on me. _You_ came up with it."

"Which is why I made an actual _effort_ with the prep. Or did nobody notice what I was doing? You know, I slept maybe three hours trying to make sure we don't _die_ trying to earn fifty million credits which we won't get because the Space Stone is inside a friggin' person!"

"I'm right here," Jim says sourly.

"Whatever!"

Jim sighs and goes searching for the Starfleet officers. Leonard, Spock, and Uhura are busy speculating on the previous inhabitants of Pollux IV, an exercise that both confuses and intrigues Jim. Heimdall only added to the mystery by claiming the planet wasn't populated when he first arrived with the surviving Asgardians. The look Brunnhilde gave him told Jim someone wasn't telling the whole story.

"Hey," Leonard says upon noticing him. "You recognize it?"

"Should I?"

"It's a near exact replica of an Ancient Greek temple," Uhura says, showing him her tricorder. "But this says it's even older than Ancient Greece."

"There is a possibility that the previous inhabitants of Pollux IV visited Earth thousands of years ago," Spock says.

Jim doesn't remember anything he learned in class when he still lived on Terra. He does remember what Pike told him about Starfleet, like the history of the Prime Directive. "You think they messed with Terran history?"

"We wouldn't know for sure without further investigation," the Vulcan replies. "Unfortunately, that is not why we're here."

On cue, Pike calls them back. Rocket has now set up seven anti-aircraft guns on a knoll overlooking the supposedly Ancient Greek temple. A gun turret has also been installed on top of the ship. Rocket's plan calls for Drax to man the turret while Nebula pilots it. Apparently this isn't Drax's first time shooting things from atop a moving spacecraft.

"This is the dumbest plan I ever agreed on," Nebula keeps muttering. "If you fall off, I'm not coming to get you."

"I don't fall," Drax retorts, ignoring the incredulous looks the other Guardians give him.

Rocket trudges over and hands Uhura a case. "Should have everything you need."

"Thanks, Rocket," she says, petting his head. She points at a copse a good distance from the row of guns. "I'm setting up over there. Pay attention to your comms. No telling how stable the connection will be even with those boosters."

"Remember the procedure," Pike says. "And let's hope you don't have to follow it. Let's go."

Spock is the last to leave, curling his fingers around Uhura's briefly before leaving her with Nebula, Drax, and Rocket's defensive measures. The other Guardians are waiting in the courtyard with Brunnhilde, Loki, and Heimdall. They're not alone, though.

"Where the hell did they come from?" Leonard wonders, staring at the group of twelve armed Asgardians standing around the courtyard.

The Asgardians start whispering amongst themselves when Jim gets closer and then one steps forward.

"I am Hogun of Vanaheim," he declares. "We are the last of the Einherjar and will guard the Bifrost while you enter our lost home to do what must be done." He then looks directly at Jim. "Don't try to defeat Hela. You won't. Your goal is to distract her until Loki resurrects Surtur. Remember that. You must return alive, Thorson."

"I… uh, I will," Jim says. Asgardians are a really intense people. "Promise."

"Heimdall," Brunnhilde announces. "We are ready."

The Einherjar backs away, giving the team a wide berth. Quill frowns. "Should we be worried?"

"This is going to be fun," Loki grins, a bad sign for any occasion.

"Here we go," Brunnhilde says as Heimdall draws out his sword, raises it over his head, and drives it into the ground.

The last thing Jim sees on Pollux IV is a pattern scorching the stone under his feet. Then all he sees are stars and the effervescent colors of the Bifrost carrying him and the others to Asgard. Someone is screaming.

He lands on both feet. So do Brunnhilde and Loki. Everybody else stumbles about or, in Quill's case, falls on their face. Jim grabs Leonard and steadies him while the poor doctor bends over and dry heaves.

"I dropped my gun," Rocket moans. "Two million credits, lost to space."

"I am Groot," Groot replies sympathetically.

Once everyone regains their bearings, they start looking around and soaking in their surroundings.

"What is this place?" Mantis wonders.

They're standing on a long glass bridge over a great sea. The glass is thick and cloudy and shimmers weakly in the dim light. The sea ends at a waterfall and Jim inches to the shattered end of the bridge to see where it falls. Water tumbles down stone cliffs… and off the planet.

"Fascinating," Spock observes next to him, making him jump. "This is unlike any planet I visited before."

"Tell me about it, Quill says, also peering over the edge, "and my dad was a planet."

Brunnhilde marches over and drags them back from the edge. "If you fall, there's nothing to catch you. Come. We have a job to do."

* * *

"This is where I leave you," Loki says while everyone stares in horror at the mummified bodies of Asgardian soldiers and civilians piled up in the square.

At a nod from a somber Brunnhilde, he turns and vanishes in a haze of dust and shadows.

"I'm having second thoughts about coming here," Quill whispers loudly.

"You're already here," Brunnhilde says. "There's no turning back now. Follow me."

Jim looks around while walking past. Asgard is in permanent twilight; stars carpet the sky but it's not too dark to shroud the abandoned towers and shattered halls, the brittle skeletons of trees lining the streets. The air is thin and stale, and others keep coughing and clearing their throats.

Everywhere, there are bodies. Jim understood to an extent the losses Asgard suffered during the civil war but it's very different walking through what's essentially a mass grave. Nobody dares to speak as they trek deeper into Asgard City. The further they go, the fewer bodies they see but the buildings here are gutted and dilapidated, jagged silhouettes looming over them. If they haven't already collapsed, they look to be on the brink of it.

"Behold the heart of the Nine Realms," Brunnhilde remarks when she sees Jim staring up and around. "Watch where you step and what you touch. Breathe wrong and this place will be your tomb."

Gamora trips over something she can't see. Annoyed, she says, "Groot, how about a little more light?"

Groot raises his arms and spores float into the air. They flicker and glow like stars, lighting a path through the oppressive gloom.

"Like lightning bugs," Leonard says, entranced.

Even Spock looks utterly fascinated by the sight. He reaches out to touch one before having second thoughts and takes out his tricorder instead.

"They're just a bunch of glowy spores," Rocket says. "Terrans are way too easy."

"Rude," Quill retorts.

Odin's Vault is supposed to be under the palace, which is still the tallest structure in the city despite having been hollowed out during the war. No part of the palace was untouched. The doors had either fallen off or been torn off, and starlight streams into the palace through the broken roof. Jim looks up while passing under the archway into the palace. Clouds are slowly forming and blotting out the stars one by one. He shivers and looks elsewhere.

More bodies were entombed in the palace. Brunnhilde frowns at one in particular; the Asgardian is adorned in finer armor than the others and a beautiful blade lies inches from their mummified hand.

"This was Fandral," she tells Jim. "He, Hogun, and Volstagg were the Warriors Three. They were friends of Thor and stood with him against Hela when the war began. Hogun is the only one left."

"I'm sorry," Jim says.

"Fandral died a good death," she says. "That's all an Asgardian can ask for."

"I'm asking to walk out of this place alive," Quill whispers loudly. Gamora smacks his arm. "Ow! What? I'm just saying what we're all thinking."

Everyone spreads out while following Brunnhilde through the great hall. The dead makes everyone anxious but so far they've stayed put instead of coming to life like Loki suggested. Jim starts wondering if he's wrong, if Heimdall and Hogun and all the other Asgardians are wrong. Who can live in this place for two hundred years?

"Fascinating," Spock utters somewhere to his right. The first officer is staring up.

Jim follows his gaze, expecting a broken ceiling and a view of the sky, but instead he sees a massive mural. It’s still intact despite the deep cracks running through the ceiling. Paint still clings to the surface and Groot's spores illuminate images of Asgardians with golden halos celebrating in bountiful gardens and meadows. However the soft colors clash with vivid reds and blacks, and Jim realizes there's another mural underneath, grotesque paintings of an old one-eyed man wearing a massive clawed crown and surrounded by armed soldiers, fire, and blood.

The longer he stares, the more disoriented he feels. It's the paintings, he realizes; they're moving and shifting through the cracks in the ceiling in a circle, an endless dance.

"Those aren't holos, are they?" Pike asks.

"They look like Ego's stories," Mantis says with a wistful sigh. Quill immediately looks at her. "He used to tell me about Asgard and their wars. They entertained him. He said Asgard could've ruled over half the cosmos if they tried. Then Odin All-Father ended his conquests and Ego grew bored."

Brunnhilde hasn't said anything but something about her expression makes Jim inch over to her. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she says. "Yes. I know what story it's telling. It's Odin’s conquest of the Nine Realms. You see the gold paint? Made from the gold he took from those other realms. You see that woman in black, riding a wolf and wearing a helm like Odin's? That's Hela. She led the vanguard. She was Asgard's might. Then Odin decided he wanted peace and prosperity. That's the mural you see covering it. That's the Asgard I grew up with."

"You didn't know," Jim deduces.

"Not until Hela broke the ceiling while storming the palace. Can't believe it's the only part of the ceiling still standing after two hundred years." In a louder voice, she says, "Keep moving!"

She continues down the hall to a dark corridor almost completely hidden under rubble and broken pillars. Jim glances up at the murals one more time, first at the painted face of the woman Brunnhilde called Hela, and then at the one-eyed man with the crown. He then looks away from his grandfather's ruthless visage and finds Loki's image quickly. There's someone next to him in the outer mural, a tall bearded blond man wearing a red cape and a golden halo.

That can only be Thor, Jim thinks. Long after he leaves the great hall, his father's face remains branded in his mind.

* * *

"…that's right. Do not come looking for us, do you understand?" Pike waits for Uhura's response. When she acknowledges, he says, "Be careful, lieutenant. Pike out."

He holsters his communicator and nods. Brunnhilde beckons to Groot and he forces the doors open. Stale air rushes out and everyone coughs. Brunnhilde peers inside and says, "Let's go."

There's no light under the palace. Groot had exhausted his spores so Gamora snaps a discarded spear in half to make torches. They do little to push back the oppressive dark and progress crawls as they try not to trip over rubble or corpses.

"Ugh," Rocket says, looking down from Groot's shoulder at the skeletal remains strewn everywhere. "Glad I'm not walking. Watch your step."

"I am Groot," Groot replies and promptly steps on a skull.

Under the palace, the air is suffocating and nobody really knows where they're going. Even Brunnhilde has trouble recalling the way; the war collapsed hallways and walls, and she has to stop several times to remember where to go. It's their luck that they haven't needed to detour or have Groot excavate a path through stone, timber, and dirt.

The deeper they go, the more the air prickles. There's a faint tang at the back of Jim's throat whenever he breathes. Brunnhilde notices his discomfort and calls it old magic, but he thinks she means Hela. Her power is seeping out of her prison and Jim can feel it.

"Not a lot of oxygen down here," Leonard mutters while staring at his tricorder's readings. "What the—something's messing with my tricorder."

The screen fluctuates, spitting out false data with every step they take. Pike flips his communicator open and hears only static.

"Something is interfering with our devices," Spock says. "We're cut off until we return to the surface."

"This keeps getting better and better," Jim mutters.

"You have no idea," Brunnhilde says ominously. "We're almost there."

"There" is a set of dusty stairs descending into a dark chamber. Jim watches his footing and catches both Leonard and Gamora when they miss a broken step. Brunnhilde is already at the bottom of the stairs and striding across the floor to a pile of bodies and debris pressing up against something. She reaches out to touch and light ripples in the air. The itching worsens at the back of Jim's throat.

"This is it," she calls out to the others. She looks at Jim. "Your turn, Jim. Everybody, spread out and take position. There's no telling what tricks Hela has up her sleeve so prepare for the worst."

"Some advice," Quill says while tucking behind a chunk of ceiling with Mantis and Spock.

"Set phasers to kill," Pike orders while drawing his out.

"Hey Quill," Rocket says. "Gimme one of your pistols."

"What? Seriously? What happened to your rifle?"

"What do you think happened? Dropped it because no one bothered to explain how Bifrosts work!"

Brunnhilde rolls her eyes. "Apologies, Rocket, I’ll warn you next time."

"Did you just call me by my name? Everyone heard that, right-”

“Rocket!” Gamora hisses.

Once everyone is hiding behind cover, Brunnhilde nods to Jim. He steps up to the magical barrier and takes a deep breath. She and Loki both say dispelling the barrier will prove Jim’s heritage beyond reasonable doubt. Jim thinks they should’ve explained how the barrier actually works.

"Jim," Brunnhilde prompts.

He can't see it but the pile of bodies and rubble are leaning against _something_. He reaches out and touches what first feels like air, then resistance, then a humming surface. He presses his hand against it and translucent golden light ripples out.

"Is that it?" Quill asks.

"I don't-"

The barrier bursts. Debris and bodies scatter while Jim hunkers down, hands glowing while he braces for a bigger impact. Nothing else happens. Slowly he lowers his hands and stares up at the gilded doors of Odin's Vault.

"That should erase whatever doubts you have left," Brunnhilde says and walks past him. Loudly, she adds, "Here we go."

She pulls the doors open. Musty air rushes out and someone sneezes. Brunnhilde looks down with a grimace and Jim sees two mummified Asgardian soldiers lying by the doors. They'd been impaled by spears. Brunnhilde exhales and one of the spears dissipates into dust.

"Hela's handiwork," she says coldly and steps over the remains into the Vault.

Jim's eyes widen at the dusty displays lining the tall narrowing walls; half of the displays are empty or toppled over and others still hold Odin's treasures. Jim recognizes a few of them from stories he heard, like the Warlock's Eye and the Tablet of Life and Time. He stares at the Casket of Ancient Winters glowing vividly blue inside its cubic prison.

"Anything?" Pike calls out.

"Not yet," Brunnhilde replies.

There's no sign of life inside the Vault, yet Jim can't shake off the feeling that _something_ is here, something ancient and powerful and not very friendly.

Brunnhilde stops in front of a huge ornate brazier. Fire burns in the wide bowl, definitive proof that a living being is inside the Vault.

"The Eternal Flame," Brunnhilde says. "It never goes out. But I don’t see Surtur's crown. Thor could have placed it elsewhere."

"Does Loki know that?" Jim asks worriedly. They did not come all this way to fail because Thor got too smart. 

"He was there," she says simply. "But she should be here. I can feel her."

He doesn't. He searches behind the displays and investigates the shadows. He squints at a dark corner of the vault, inches closer, and realizes the shadow is a hole in the floor. "There's a hole here."

"What? But there's nothing under the Vault." Brunnhilde crouches at the edge and squints. "Can't see anything. Bring me a handful of Flame."

"What?"

She nods at the brazier. "Just stick your hand in and scoop some out. It doesn’t hurt."

She looks at him expectantly like she really wants him to stick his hand in the fire. Brunnhilde arches an eyebrow when he still doesn’t move, so he turns and slowly approaches the Eternal Flame. He holds a finger to it and feels a mild warmth but no pain. Taking a deep breath, he reaches inside the Eternal Flame. Nothing hurts. He cups his hand and withdraws it, and stares at the handful of Flame in his palm. He carries it back to Brunnhilde and pours it into her outstretched hand. She holds it over the gaping hole and then tips it over.

Glittering green eyes stare up at them as the handful of Flame falls and snuffs out upon impact. He jumps back. "What the hell!"

"What's going on?" Gamora calls out.

"I don't know!" Jim replies. "What's down there?"

"No idea," Brunnhilde says. She's also backing away while drawing her sword.

"After all these centuries, you still don’t know what’s under your feet? Shame. Father really let educational standards slide during his last centuries."

Brunnhilde shoves Jim behind her and holds her blade out at a woman ambling out of the shadows. She resembles the frescoes in the great hall but without the great clawed black helm. Her green and black clothes have been ripped in places but she carries herself with grace and power. Her eyes are cold and piercing as they pass over Jim and Brunnhilde.

"I remember you," Hela murmurs, eyes narrowing at Brunnhilde. "You stood with my traitorous brothers and led your sisters to slaughter. And now you've returned. Only a fool would try a second time."

"Speak of the fallen Valkyrie again," Brunnhilde says, "and I'll drive my sword into your heart."

"I'm the goddess of death." Hela steps forward and Brunnhilde pushes Jim back several steps. "I cannot die. Kneel before your king and I'll welcome you back as a true Valkyrie, the vanguard of Asgard reborn." 

"I recognize no king," Brunnhilde says. "No thanks."

"So you'd rather side with Thor's little bastard." Hela turns her attention to Jim. "Didn't think he had it in him, and with a _Kree_ of all people. But I suppose I should thank you for freeing me from this miserable place."

"That's not why I'm here," Jim says uneasily.

"I know. But I can tell you what you can accomplish if you make this your reason. An army waits beneath our feet, ready to take back the Nine Realms, ready to reclaim what's ours by right. Ride with me, Thorson, and all will either kneel at our feet or die."

"No."

"No?" Hela tries to approach but Brunnhilde steps in again. "Your Kree half should know the impulse. The hunger. The desire."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jim demands. 

Hela gives him another onceover and frowns disapprovingly. "Hmm, yes, I see it now. You're more like Thor. Pity. Very well. Let’s try this instead—bring me Loki. I know he's here. I can smell him. Find him and I'll allow your friends their lives while I march to the Bifrost."

"You're not leaving Asgard," Brunnhilde replies.

"Yes I am, and no one is stopping me. Not you, not Heimdall, not your grave-robbing friends."

"Hey! That's uncalled for, lady!" Rocket hollers from outside.

"Rocket!" Gamora snaps.

"Didn't you hear her? She called us grave robbers!"

Hela rolls her eyes. She then slicks back her long dark hair and the locks transform into the clawed helm from the frescoes. "Very well. Let's get this over with."

She raises her arms and the wall behind her shifts. Brunnhilde shoves Jim back again as a towering metal construct emerges from the retracting wall.

"Shit, I forgot about that," Brunnhilde says. "Watch the head and don't get hit."

"But what _is_ that-"

The construct turns to Jim and its faceplates glow. He leaps away before the construct blasts a beam of energy at him. It plows through the floor and reveals a great horde of undead soldiers in the chamber below. Their green eyes glimmer up at light.

"Rise, my soldiers," Hela calls out. "The gates are open and the Nine Realms await."

They immediately climb over each other, forming a disgusting writhing chain.

"We need to go. Jim, stop them," Brunnhilde says, then looks over her shoulder. "Run!"

Jim throws a photon blast at the soldiers, blowing apart the chain. It still grows, more undead soldiers climbing over each other to reach the top. Another burst of energy sears through it and more tumble to the floor, but the undead keep reassembling their living ladder. Something glows out of the corner of Jim's eye and he jumps out of the way of the construct's energy blast. It blows out the doorway instead.

"What the fuck is that!" Quill yells while Pike, Spock, and Leonard open fire.

Phaser fire glances off the construct and it turns its head to the Starfleet officers. Jim throws himself at its knee, knocking it into the side of the Vault and toppling empty displays.

"It's the Destroyer!" Brunnhilde shouts back. She kicks down the first undead soldier to reach the surface, then hacks the arms off another. "The Vault's defense system. It thinks we're the enemy. I told you, run! Get out!"

Jim drags her out of the way of the Destroyer's next attack. This time he throws a photon blast at its head. The Destroyer stumbles, stepping on the undead soldiers crawling out of the holes in the floor, but stops short of falling into the subterranean chamber. It charges up for another attack.

"Jim, Valkyrie, get out of there!" Pike shouts.

Jim and Brunnhilde flee the Vault. The ground shakes as the Destroyer misses again and punches another hole in the floor. Jim looks over his shoulder at more undead Asgardians soldiers crawling out before focusing on not tripping up the stairs while fleeing the unfolding madness and danger down below. He doesn't see Hela standing tall among her soldiers, staring straight at Jim.

* * *

Everyone spills out into the great hall and stops short at a horrifying sight. The dead Asgardians are rising, weapons held in shriveled grey hands, green eyes glimmering under their helms.

"I really hate this place!" Quill announces.

Rocket shoots the head off of one soldier. Another takes its place while it stumbles about before collapsing. The horde shuffles forward from all directions, boxing them in.

"Is this her doing?" Gamora asks Brunnhilde.

"Yes. Remember, we're not here to win. We're here to clear the way for Loki. Draw them all out of the palace. Move!"

Groot's arms lengthen rapidly and they sweep aside the undead in front of them. Jim blasts anyone trying to plug in the gaps, keeping the escape route clear. Phaser fire streak through the air and Rocket hollers from his perch on Groot's head while firing Quill's blaster pistol.

The palace shudders from the ground up and things crumble. Jim flings a ball of photon energy at a huge chunk of ceiling before it falls on Leonard and Spock, shattering stone into dust and pebbles. Another quake topples the side of the hall and collapses more of the ceiling, revealing a rapidly clouded sky.

"Run!" Mantis yells as more undead soldiers pour into the great hall, leading Hela to the surface.

They fight their way out of the palace and down the steps to the main thoroughfare. The dead keep picking themselves up from where they fell two centuries ago and rushing forward, shrieking, swinging weapons and bare hands. Every time one falls, two appear. Groot kicks aside several and tosses more into buildings, and another twenty will sprint out of the shadows. Rocket's blaster pistol runs out of charges and he throws it at a one-armed soldier trying to run Pike through with a spear.

"I'm out!" he shouts. "Anyone got a spare?"

"Here," Spock says and tosses him a phaser.

"What the heck is this? What's this setting?"

"See the trigger on the side?" Pike replies loudly. "Switch it from blue to red. Don't waste your shots!"

"I make no promises," Rocket says, sets the phaser to kill, and immediately shoots a soldier trying to crawl up Groot. "And stay dead this time!"

They make it halfway to the great bridge over the sea and then the world shudders and shakes. Stone pillars rise out of the ground, blocking their escape. A deep snarl rolls down the main road. Jim looks at a horrified Brunnhilde and then sees an absolutely _massive_ wolf plow through buildings, brittle trees, and the horde towards them. Its eyes glow the same eerie green as the Asgardian undead.

"What. The _fuck_," he says.

The wolf comes to a screeching stop in front of them. Someone is sitting on its shoulders. Jim's stomach drops as Hela slides down the wolf's flank to the ground. Somehow she found time to change because her clothes are neat and new and intimidating. She strides forward and summons a blade with a flick of her wrist. Everyone raises their weapons or fists.

"And where do you think you're going?" she asks.

"Elsewhere," Brunnhilde replies. 

She rolls her eyes. "I know why you came back. You should know that Thor thought he was smart and misplaced Surtur’s crown without telling anyone. You’ll never find it."

Brunnhilde's expression darkens. "We will."

"No, you won’t. You're not leaving Asgard. And you-" She points her blade at Jim. "-you're definitely staying."

"Like hell he is," Leonard retorts. Mantis slaps her hand over his mouth.

"I was wondering what happened to the Tesseract," she continues. "The Space Stone is mine by right. Return it to me and I might spare all of your lives."

"No, he won't," Brunnhilde says. She whispers to Jim, "Whatever happens, she _must_ not get her hands on it."

"I don't even know how to get it out!" Jim hisses back.

"But I do," Hela says. "Do you even know what it's capable of? Did Loki ever bother to explain?" She scoffs. "You treat it like a toy. Let me show you what it can really do."

She flings her blade and Brunnhilde knocks it out of the air with hers. More appear in Hela's hands. She throws them again and this time Groot bats them aside with his long arms. Jim flinches away from splintering wood. Rocket starts firing his borrowed phaser at Hela. She doesn't twitch.

"Fenris, darling," she tells the wolf. "Deal with them. Spare Thorson. He's mine."

The beast howls and leaps forward. Groot and Rocket yell back; Groot smacks the wolf's jaw with his arm and Rocket shoots at the glowing green eyes. Fenris yelps when a photon blast nearly incinerates its right eye and swerves, colliding with the stone pillars. Two of them topple but nobody can slip past without the wolf stomping them.

Gamora runs in and attacks the wolf's leg, forcing it back. Fenris snarls and swings its head, tossing her aside. She lands in a heap several yards away.

"Gamora!" Quill activates his jet boots and takes a shot at Fenris while flying to her side.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Behind you!" She half-rises and slashes at the Asgardian soldiers rushing forward. She abruptly sits back down. "Damn, twisted my ankle."

"McCoy's a doctor, right? Hey, McCoy! Gamora's down!"

Leonard shoves his phaser at Mantis and runs to her while Quill provides cover fire. An undead soldier gets past Quill's blaster fire but Jim plows into it before it can attack Leonard, crushing it into the side of a building. He lands with such force the shockwave throws back the encroaching horde, giving Leonard breathing room to patch Gamora's ankle.

"Valkyrie," Pike says while shooting down more undead soldiers. "How much longer are we supposed to wait?"

"Not much, I hope." She dodges Fenris's swipe and slashes at the wolf's foreleg. 

"What if he doesn't find the crown?"

"Whatever happens, we can't let her reach the Bifrost," Valkyrie replies. "Call your officer. Tell Heimdall-"

She shoves him back and leaps away from one of Hela's conjured weapons before it spears them both. She whirls around and dodges another spear. 

"Twenty minutes!" she yells at Pike. "Then Heimdall seals off Asgard!"

"What about us?" Rocket demands.

"We don't matter," she says grimly. "Keeping Hela on Asgard is."

"No, fuck that!" Rocket takes aim at Hela but the phaser fire does nothing. "I'm not dying on Asgard and turning into one of her zombies!"

"Then we make a run for it," Pike says. "And we do it now before she wears us out. Spock! Comm Uhura. Groot, get Gamora. Everyone needs to fall back _now_."

While Spock comms Uhura, Rocket shouts, "Fall back!" 

Jim turns around and Fenris lunges at him, knocking him down. He throws back the beast with an energy blast and leaps to his feet, but something slams into him and throws him back against the side of a building. Pain explodes at his shoulder; a spear had impaled him to the wall. He tries to break it off with his left hand, then lashes out at Hela when she approaches. She easily dodges the energy flare and pins his wrist down. Coldness emanates from her, dampening his powers.

"Is that all?" she asks, amused. She searches his face and the corner of her lip curls in disgust. "You only look like him. There's nothing remotely Asgardian about you. And what's this, a control implant? How pathetic."

"Fuck you," he grits out.

"Childish insults will get you nowhere." She grasps his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Your king thanks you for returning what belongs to her."

She moves her hand to his chest and curls her fingers, then pushes in. His head starts pounding. _Something_ roils under his skin and heat flows to his sternum under her hand. He tries to pull away but he can't move without causing more pain. Bluish light spills out from between her fingers as the Space Stone gathers. It's a lump under his skin and it _burns_.

"How did you merge with the Stone?" she mutters. "How did you live?"

He can't answer. His mind is elsewhere. _Kevin knelt in the dry dirt, digging with grubby hands. He held up a large blue stone that glowed in the sunlight, then yelped and dropped it._

_"It burns!"_

_Jim scrambled over to his side and examined the younger boy's hands. They're red but not burned. Satisfied Kevin wasn't hurt, he prodded the stone with a twig. It burst into flames and he tossed it. Then he poked it with his finger. It was warm to the touch and seemed to hum, but it didn't burn him. He picked it up. It didn't hurt._

_What was this? A meteorite?_

_"Jimmy," Kevin whispered, pointing over his shoulder._

_He turned and stared at the group of people walking up the hill to them. Their skin was blue but the leader was pale and pinkish with dark hair and yellowish eyes. The leader stopped when he realized Jim and Kevin were staring. After a few seconds, he resumed walking and went straight to Jim._

_"What's that you got there?" he asked casually, pretending the two boys in front of him weren't hollow-eyed and starving._

_"A stone," Jim said. The man felt strange. Wrong. "Who are you?"_

_"Just someone passing by. May I see it?"_

_"Why?"_

_The man smiled. "You wouldn't understand."_

_"Try me."_

_The man turned to his blue-skinned companions. Jim studied their strange black, green, and silver uniforms, trying to place them. They certainly weren't Starfleet._

_"You're not Federation," he decided._

_"No, we are not." The yellow-eyed man looked back at him. "We came a very long way searching for that blue stone. You should give it to me."_

_The unease deepened and Jim shook his head. "No. Why do you want it?"_

_"You have no idea what you're holding, do you?"_

_"Doesn't matter. Who are you?"_

_The man frowned. "What's your name, Terran?"_

_Terran? Was that his word for "human"? Jim drew up to his full scrawny height. "My name is James Tiber-"_

_The stone exploded._

Hela rips her spear out of his shoulder and he collapses at her feet. Weakened and in pain, he can only watch as she presses the Space Stone to her chest. He shuts his eyes against the explosion of light.

"Behold your king," Hela declares.

He opens his eyes to see her soar into the sky, surrounded by a corona of energy. Next thing he knows, too many hands haul him too his feet. He sags against Leonard, breathing hard while the world spins.

"Take him and go," Brunnhilde is saying. "And tell Heimdall to close the Bifrost."

"You're not coming with us?" Mantis asks.

"No." She squeezes Jim's other shoulder, then turns and strides away before he can protest.

"Can you walk?" Leonard asks. Jim tries and almost drags Leonard down. "Nope."

"Drax was right, I'd rather be alive than fifty million credits richer," Quill says. He activates his helmet and jet boots and streaks away. "We're ditching this place."

Their retreat is slower than they'd like but they manage to reach the bridge. Groot and Rocket do most of the work; Groot swipes waves of the undead off the bridge into the sea and Rocket picks off the survivors. Quill does his best to keep Fenris distracted but Hela is the real problem. She soars overhead and flings down weapons that crack the glass and nearly split Groot in half.

"What's the point?" Leonard demands while staring at Hela's glimmering form. "Why not just end it now?"

"She's just messing with us," Jim replies. 

He sees something falling out of the sky at them and shoves Leonard out of the way. He remembers belatedly that he no longer possesses the Stone but energy still bursts out of his fist and explodes Hela's spear, showering him, Leonard, and Pike in debris. Before he realizes what just happened, the control implant fires and he doubles over.

"Jim!" Leonard pulls him back onto his feet. "Was that the-"

"Yep." He presses a shaking finger against the spot behind his left ear and nearly zaps himself. "What the hell?"

"Worry about it later," Pike tells them and runs to Spock. "Spock, hail Uhura again. Tell Heimdall to close the Bifrost. Hela can't leave this planet."

"Not while we're still here!" Rocket retorts.

A shot takes out a jet on Quill's left boot and he spirals out of the sky. Groot catches him before he falls into the sea. Another shot glances off Hela and hits Fenris; the wolf yelps and scrambles to a stop, knocking scores of undead off the bridge.

"There you are, Tiber," Yon-Rogg says while Starforce emerges from the Bifrost, weapons drawn. "Do you know how long it took to find you?"

* * *

The palace is finally empty. Loki shimmies out of his hiding spot and runs through the dusty, decrepit hall to the royal wing. There’s only one place where Thor would’ve hidden Surtur’s crown.

Thor was many things, but he was no fool. He knew better than to leave the crown within Hela’s reach. He knew Asgard was still the safest place to keep it.

The doors in the royal wing are still sealed shut. He’s curious but he doesn’t stop to snoop around; he doesn’t have time and he’s put that life behind him now. 

He does stop at Queen Frigga’s door. 

Just one look. Just one last chance to relive his childhood before he learned the truth about himself, before Hela rebelled, before he finishes Thor’s work and unleashes Ragnarok.

Queen Frigga died nearly four hundred years ago defending Asgard from the Dark Elves. Hela demanded Malekith’s head. It was Odin’s last straw and he named Thor the heir. That began Asgard’s doom.

_”This is where it all began,”_ Thor sighs. _”This was the beginning of Ragnarok.”_

Loki doesn’t even flinch. Of course Thor would place an apparition of himself—a “holo”, Pike would say, as if Terrans had a monopoly on the naming of things—in their mother’s quarters. This Thor is exhausted, bruised and bloody, adorned in broken armor. This was Loki’s last memory of him before a collapsing Bifrost scattered them.

“Since when did you find the time to record this?” Loki asks.

_”I don’t have that much time,”_ Thor’s apparition says wryly, though he glances over his shoulder at some unseen threat. Loki does so anyway because the threat is very real for him. _”Listen carefully. I came here because I knew you’d come here. I know how hard it is to say goodbye.”_

Loki squints at Thor’s semi-transparent face.

_”Remember the last time I visited Earth? I went to the Well of Seeing and I saw the end. I bet you already know that I took Surtur’s crown and hid it where she would never look. Take it and bring him back. End Asgard before she ends us all.”_

“I don’t suppose you saw anything else in the Well,” Loki mutters more bitterly than he means it.

_”The Well isn’t for that, brother, and you know it. But I did see… I think I saw my son.”_ There’s a look on Thor’s face, so full of pride and grief. He’d seen something he shouldn’t have. _”Take care of him. Take care of our people.”_

“Not my people,” Loki mutters. This has gone on for too long. “How do you turn this off?”

_”They are, too. Don’t deny it. Now take the crown and—oh no. Heimdall-”_

The apparition vanishes in a burst of cosmic light. Loki blinks at the space where Thor once stood, then rubs his eyes.

“Damned dust,” he grumbles.

The sky rumbles and he peers out a broken window at an unnatural thunderstorm rolling through Asgard. He turns and starts tearing apart Queen Frigga’s rooms.

* * *

Jim's first instinct is to put himself between Yon-Rogg and Starfleet. His second is raises his fists but the control implant starts acting up again and he clenches his jaw to stop himself from twitching.

Yon-Rogg looks at him from head to toe. "What did you do to your uniform?" He then looks at Pike, whose phaser is pointing at his head. "What sort of lies have the Terrans been telling you?"

"Save it," Pike says. "Either you help us stop Hela from leaving Asgard or you get the hell out of our way."

"She's not our concern," Yon-Rogg replies. "Deal with her as you please but the Vault and Tiber are ours."

"That's not my name," Jim snaps.

"The Vault is not yours, Kree," Hela calls out from high above them. "And unwelcome guests don't help themselves to Asgard's wealth. It's impolite."

"Asgard is a husk of a planet, the ghost of a long-dead empire," Yon-Rogg says. "An army of reanimated corpses won't get you anywhere anymore. The Nine Realms are no more. There is only the Kree."

Hela is silent for several terrifying seconds. Then she sighs loudly and conjures a spear. "Very well."

She throws it at Yon-Rogg, who stops it in mid-flight with a forcefield and tosses it aside of Asgard. Hela smirks and summons more.

"A challenge. I welcome it."

The undead and Fenris rush forward. Starforce braces itself for impact.

"This is so stupid," Gamora shouts while deflecting Korath's blades and kicking aside a one-armed Asgardian corpse. "This is so fucking stupid!"

Mantis leaps around Att-Lass, trying to reach his head. He smashes his pistol into hers instead, then ducks Fenris's swipe. He stands and then Mantis kicks him in the head. She steals one of his pistols.

"Rocket!" she hollers and throws it up at him.

He grins and starts shooting down the undead from Groot's head while Groot continues tossing the horde about. Pike dodges the flying bodies and runs over to Spock.

"If Starforce is here," he tells the Vulcan, "then so are the rest of the Kree-"

The bridge shudders as Fenris bounds forward. They scatter, making way for Bron-Char to charge the wolf with his gauntlets. He punches the beast in the jaw and it tumbles off the bridge with a tremendous splash. The resulting wave washes away a swathe of the horde but it doesn't matter how many die. More keep appearing, emerging from the oldest and darkest parts of Asgard to pour onto the bridge at Hela's bidding.

All the while, the goddess of death flies overhead, casting down spears, daggers, and bursts of energy. The entire bridge is fraught with danger from the ground up—literally.

In the midst of chaos, Spock's communicator beeps loudly. _"Uhura to Spock! Spock, can you read me?"_

"I can hear you, lieutenant," Spock says while beating back a soldier with a battered shield. 

_"Hogun says the—dive-bombing us. I'm all right but I don't know how long we can hold out. The Enterprise can't help us. They're too close to the surface. Heimdall says—too close to him, he's closing the Bifrost on his end—tell Quill the Ravagers are here. I have to-"_

"Lieutenant. Lieutenant, do you read me? Nyota!" Spock searches the bridge and finds Quill fighting alongside Gamora. "Quill, the Ravagers have arrived at Pollux IV."

"See, told you Yondu owed me!" Quill tells Gamora. He then grabs a dropped rusted sword and throws it at Korath, who easily blocks it with his own. Huffing, Quill fires his blaster pistol and Korath evades the shot. "Oh come on!"

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Star-Brat."

Quill opens his mouth, then ducks before Hela's spear strikes his head. Korath jumps back from another spear, whips out his own blaster pistol, and fires at her. She unleashes a wave of vivid green energy that sweeps over the bridge, hitting her own undead army, and almost knocks Spock off the bridge. Jim catches him at the last second and hauls him back up by his rumpled blue shirt.

"Thank you," Spock says, then points his phaser at an approaching Kree. It doesn't fire.

Yon-Rogg drags the Vulcan away from Jim and tosses him aside. "It's time for you to come home, Tiber."

Jim bristles. "I said that's not my name. It's James Tiber-"

"I don't care what name they gave you. You're not one of them. You're Kree. And you're returning to Hala where you belong."

"What about the Infinity Stone? Isn't that why you took me?"

Yon-Rogg glances up at Hela and then shakes his head. "You still have no idea, do you?"

"Then what the hell is? Why don’t you just tell me!" Jim raises a clenched fist. Energy flares and fizzles out on his knuckles.

"It was never just about the Stone," Yon-Rogg says. "I saw her in you. I saw my old commander who betrayed me and everything we fought for. And for what, the _Skrulls_? These weak-minded, backwards Terrans? The heir to a dead people? When I found you, I swore I would do right by all we stood for, all that she used to believe in."

"So you kidnapped me. Stole me and made me believe I was a Kree whose parents died in a Skrull attack because you couldn't get over what she chose to do."

"I saw an opportunity to undo her mistake. She turned traitor and her name was struck from our collective memory. She will be forgotten by future generations. I won't let you suffer the same fate."

"Suffer?" Jim says incredulously. The nerve of this Kree. "You lied about everything! I'm not fighting your wars anymore. I'm done."

Yon-Rogg's eyes narrow to slits. "I didn't put thirteen years of my life into you to be treated like this. You're returning to Hala whether you like it or not!"

Jim leaps out of range of his gauntlets, snatches up a broken sword, and charges Yon-Rogg. He drops to the ground to evade the forcefields, sweeps Yon-Rogg off his feet, and rams a knee into his chest to hold the Kree down. Jim presses the rusted blade against his former commander's throat.

"The only reason I'd go back to Hala is to end it all," he says. "I’ll do one better than my mother. You can tell them tha-"

A pillar bursts out of the sea. It scrapes the bridge and throws Jim off his feet. Yon-Rogg leaps onto his and seizes Jim with a forcefield.

"We'll end them all right," he says, watching Jim scrabble uselessly against something he can't grasp. He swipes his finger across his control panel when Jim's hands start glowing and the implant numbs his arms and legs.

"Return to the Helion," Yon-Rogg says to his communicator while looking around at the battlefield. "We'll come back for the Vault another day." He then drags Jim to Minn-Erva and Bron-Char. "Bind him and replace the implant. I have unfinished business to take care of."

"Don't hesitate," Minn-Erva says. "I'm not visiting C-53 again."

Jim tries to summon photon energy but feels nothing. His legs don’t work either so he headbutts Yon-Rogg while Bron-Char cuffs him. Yon-Rogg wipes away blue blood and then punches him.

He comes to on his stomach, arms bound and Bron-Char's boot on his back. He tries to shrug off the bulky Kree but Bron-Char leans on him instead.

"Stop wriggling, brat."

"Fuck you." He turns his head to see Minn-Erva scanning the battle through her scope. Korath and Att-Lass are missing; Minn-Erva must be searching for them. "Bet they got their asses kicked."'

"I'm not looking for them."

He cranes his head to see what she sees. He finds Att-Lass and Korath easily, and then he sees Yon-Rogg. Yon-Rogg's pistol is out and he's advancing on someone wearing a blue uniform.

_Yon-Rogg knew what happened last year._

Panic rises as Leonard turns from where he's patching up Brunnhilde's arm—where'd she come from, when did she return to them?—to stare at Yon-Rogg's pistol pointing at his head.

"No!" Jim tries to throw Bron-Char off and Minn-Erva smashes his head in with her rifle.

_He falls through space at a dizzying speed, hurtling past stars and planets and nebulous clouds of gas and dust. Where is he going? Where will he land?_

_He tumbles toward a massive, volatile wormhole. It looks like a lightning storm._

_"There you are. Wow. You really do look like me."_

_He's not falling anymore. He turns and stares._

_"You must've found Asgard," Thor says. His face is just like the holos Pike showed Jim but he wears the red cape and armor from the frescoes in Asgard's palace. "Or else we wouldn't be here."_

_"You're dead," Jim says._

_"No one's ever really dead. Something I learned when I fought Hela all those years ago."_

_Hela. She's the greater threat than Yon-Rogg. She’s the reason why they're on Asgard. "She said you hid Surtur's crown somewhere else."_

_"Of course I did. Why would I put it in the same place as her? Loki knows me better. He knows where it is."_

_"But she has the Stone." Jim looks at his hands. "I can't stop her like this."_

_"Yes you can," Thor says. He smiles. "Remember, you’re not actually supposed to stop her. Let Surtur do that."_

_"And Yon-Rogg? He followed me here. He’ll never stop."_

_" Yes, he will. You just need to… stop listening to him."_

_He taps at the spot behind his left ear. Jim reaches behind his and grips the control implant. He grits his teeth and pries it off. It drips blood in his palm, then he curls his fingers and crushes it to dust. Already he feels lighter; a weight he never noticed has fallen off his shoulders. Wild lightning streaks through the iridescent clouds and he looks up at Thor._

_"And then what?" Jim asks, but he already knows. He feels it in his fingertips, in his chest, the back of his throat._

_"Take back what’s yours. Find the answers you're looking for."_

_Thor holds his hand out. Electricity arcs between his fingers and over his knuckles. Jim stares at him and then at the shimmering corona of energy around his own. He reaches across the void and grasps his father's hand._

* * *

Storm clouds rapidly gather, blocking out the stars. Rocket looks up. "Does that look normal to you?"

"I am Groot," Groot says worriedly.

Thunder rumbles. Sparks of light catch Minn-Erva's attention and she looks down. Her eyes widen at the intensifying corona around Jim's unconscious body and points her rifle at his head.

"Bron-Char, back away. Yon-Rogg, we have a situa-"

Lightning strikes the bridge, blowing Minn-Erva and Bron-Char off their feet. Everyone freezes and turns to see what just happened.

_"Finally,"_ Brunnhilde says.

Jim strides out of the smoke, glowing iridescent and gold. He stops and stares at Yon-Rogg, whose pistol is still pointing at Leonard's head. He pries the control implant off his skin, crushes it in his hand, then lashes out at the Starforce commander. Brunnhilde pulls Leonard out of the way of the energy blast and it throws Yon-Rogg into the undead horde.

"Starforce!" Minn-Erva hollers while loading her rifle. "Stop him!"

Korath sprints forward, swords raised, and Jim tosses him aside with a wave of energy. Bron-Char charges up his gauntlets and Att-Lass runs in with his pistol, but Jim sweeps them away with long tongues of energy. Hela's undead horde surge forward and lightning bolts streak through the charged air, blowing them away. 

"What the _fuck_?" Quill yelps when he's left untouched by the lightning strikes. 

The way to the Bifrost is clear and Gamora wastes no time grabbing a shaking Quill by the arm and pulling him along. "Run!"

Brunnhilde hauls Leonard to his feet and then pushes him toward the Bifrost. "Go!"

"You're not? What about Jim-"

"This is our fight now. Spock!"

"She is correct," Spock says. He actually looks shell-shocked and windswept by the last five minutes. "This is no longer our fight."

Meanwhile Minn-Erva is collecting a stupefied Yon-Rogg. He stares at Jim shoving back Hela's army with so little effort, burning brighter than he ever had as Tiber.

"That's what we were holding back?" Minn-Erva asks while they retreat to the Bifrost with the rest of Starforce.

"It was a calculated risk," Yon-Rogg replies.

"We never should've gone after Talos."

Yon-Rogg looks up to see Hela descending from the sky, attention solely on Jim. "We're done here."

They vanish into the Bifrost with the Guardians. Starfleet lingers, waiting for Pike. The captain is chasing Brunnhilde up the bridge after Jim. 

"You can't stop her!" he reminds the Valkyrie. "The idea was to give Loki a chance. He had it and Asgard is still here. It's over-"

"For you," she says. "If neither of us return in ten minutes, tell Heimdall to close the Bifrost."

"Now listen-"

"Captain Pike," Brunnhilde says sharply. "If I can, I'll send Jim back. But you have your people, your Federation to protect from the Kree. Do that."

Pike reluctantly backs away. "All right. Be careful."

"I know."

She turns and draws her sword. Hela is on the bridge now, standing between her and Jim. Her back is to Brunnhilde but she turns as soon as Brunnhilde makes her move; Brunnhilde twists away from Hela's spear and points her sword at Odin's eldest.

"You'll go no further," Brunnhilde declares.

Hela smirks and her eyes glow as she raises her hand. The Space Stone shimmers at the base of her neck as she conjures another spear. "You have no power over me. Kneel before your king."

"That's actually a good idea," Brunnhilde agrees and immediately drops to one knee.

Hela whirls around and Jim strikes her with a cosmic fireball. It hits her square in the chest and dislodges the Space Stone. Hela tumbles away and Jim snatches the Stone out of the air. The goddess of death rises, reshapes her clawed helm, and throws another spear. Jim opens his other hand and the spear vanishes. It appears in the sky and falls toward Hela, who thrusts up another spear to destroy it.

"You little-" Hela blocks Brunnhilde's sword with her reinforced vambrace and shoves the Valkyrie back. She strides forward while more blades appear in her hands. "You really think an Infinity Stone will stop me? I'm the goddess of death. The old magic is in my veins. So long as Asgard stands-"

"-you can't die, I know," Jim says. He lets himself detach from the bridge and floats several feet up in the air. "So I heard. But I'm not here to stop you."

The sea is roiling. A shudder rolls down the bridge, surprising Hela's horde. Another soon follows. Brunnhilde is staring at something over Jim's shoulder and he turns to see the skyline glowing.

"No…." Hela whispers.

A roar rolls down the bridge and over the sea from the city. Jim's eyes widen as the skyline bursts into flames and a massive fire demon rises. Flames spill from the demon's towering form and ignite the city, casting back the darkness the storm brought.

"_ASGARD,_" Surtur, ruler of Muspelheim, bellows while raising a massive flaming sword. "_YOUR DOOM IS AT HAND."_

"You fools!" Hela screams, staring at Jim and then at Brunnhilde with betrayed fury. "What did you do?"

"What we failed to do all those years ago," Brunnhilde says. She takes a step back. "Bring about Ragnarok."

Someone is running down the bridge toward them, shoving undead Asgardians aside. It's Loki, rumpled and bruised and terrified but alive. He sprints past them with barely a cursory nod at his dumbfounded one-time sister.

"Run!" he shouts and leaps into the Bifrost.

Brunnhilde throws Hela forward and beckons to Jim, who wraps himself in a corona and dives, smashing through the bridge and breaking it in half. He returns to the bridge on Brunnhilde's side and follows her to the Bifrost. Behind them, Surtur roars again about his glorious destiny.

The last thing Jim sees is Hela conjuring giant stone pillars from the seabed. She leaps onto one and rides it to meet Surtur in a last-ditch attempt to stop Ragnarok.

Then he falls into the Bifrost and Asgard vanishes.

* * *

Jim lands on Pollux IV with such force that he sends Kree soldiers flying through the air. Heimdall manages to stay on his feet but Loki tumbles away. He scrambles back up and brushes dirt off his clothes.

"Always with the dramatic entrances," he says.

"Like old times," Heimdall says while wrenching his sword from the earth. The Bifrost closes behind them. "You've changed, James Kirk."

"I had a chat with someone," he replies. "Could've done without Starforce, though."

"They overwhelmed us and entered the Bifrost before I could close it."

"Not your fault," Jim says. "Where's Brunnhilde? She went in before me."

"Right here," Brunnhilde says at his elbow. She looks as winded and rumpled as Loki does. "Heimdall, what do you see?"

Heimdall looks skyward. Smoke and phaser fire criss-cross overhead as Ravager M-ships dogfight the Kree. Rocket's modified ship is still airborne and Drax is still on top of it, shouting obscenities while firing Rocket's giant gun. Beyond the planet's atmosphere, the Enterprise and the Ravager mothership Eclector battle Ronan's Dark Aster and two other Accuser ships. And beyond that-

"It is over," Heimdall declares. "Asgard and Hela are no more."

Jim has only been on Asgard a few hours and no real connection to it but he still feels the weight of Heimdall's words.

"But the battle is not," the gatekeeper adds. "It is time to turn the tide."

Jim turns to scan the raging battle before them. Uhura is still underneath the stand of trees where she'd set up her station, except the trees had been blown apart. She's hiding behind the smoldering trunks with Leonard and Pike; Pike is shouting into a communicator while they guard him and take out any Kree soldier that gets too close. Spock is much closer to the front lines, using both his phaser and Vulcan strength to support Quill, Gamora, Mantis, and the surviving Einherjar. Rocket is out in the open field with Groot, frantically repairing his anti-aircraft guns while Groot provides cover and tosses Kree soldiers about.

The rest of Starforce had fallen in with Ronan's soldiers and Jim finds them easily—except for Yon-Rogg and Minn-Erva.

"Heimdall, where's Yon-Rogg?"

"He is returning to the Helion," Heimdall says almost immediately. "He is relaying instructions to his second and Ronan."

Jim doesn't need to ask what those instructions are. He leaps into the air. "He's calling in a missile strike." Then, "Which way?"

Heimdall points and Jim streaks across the sky, trailing photon energy like a comet tail. Too many dumbfounded pairs of eyes follow him and he grins when Rocket blurts out, "Oh, so he can fly now. Show-off!"

Two Kree fighters descend to meet him and Jim blows past them, not looking back as they crash. He spots another fighter chasing Rocket's ship and Drax is hanging on for dear life. Jim speeds off in their direction and throws a photon blast to break the ship in half. Drax stares at him and then laughs in recognition. Jim waves back and veers away to find Yon-Rogg and the Helion. He spots it over a mile away and below, and there's no sign of Yon-Rogg.

A loud crack pierces the air. Something small and hard punches Jim's side and he crashes. Coughing and choking on dust, he scrambles out of the dirt and freezes when a rifle muzzle touches his temple.

"Stay down," Minn-Erva says, "or I'm putting a bullet through your head."

"Where's Yon-Rogg?"

She ignores him and raises her communicator to her lips. "I got him. Call in the-"

He grabs the rifle and bends it in half. She drops it and grabs her blaster pistol but Jim blows her back with an explosion. He turns at the sound of footsteps. Yon-Rogg steps off the Helion wearing his forcefield gauntlets but they're off-line.

"The Accusers made their judgment," he says. "It's too late for this planet, for your so-called friends fighting over the remnants of a dead empire. But there is still a chance for you. If you come with me, you'll escape Ronan's wrath and the Intelligence will forgive you."

Jim knows how Accuser strikes end. He'd watched them from the Helion, seen the aftermath, witnessed the ongoing fallout of the judgments. He also knows how rare Ronan's failed judgment against Xandar was. He also knows that _he can stop this one_.

"I don't believe you," Jim says and draws on the full power of the Space Stone. Yon-Rogg squints against the building light and energy, then Jim blasts him into the side of the Helion, activates his helmet, and leaps into the sky.

He dodges Ravager ships and blows through Kree fighters while escaping Pollux IV's atmosphere. His helm shields his mouth and nose against the vacuum of space just before he breaks free of it. He searches for and finds the Enterprise and Eclector in orbit above the planet, battling the three Accuser warships and their Kree fighters. The Enterprise's shields are weakening, drawing most of the fire. Jim clenches his jaw, then propels himself at the Federation starship.

The Kree doesn't retaliate until Jim is already plowing through their numbers, dodging their attacks and blasting any ship drawing too close to the Enterprise. He reduces the fleet to debris, then turns to the three Kree warships. They've already deployed their missiles.

He dives. The warheads are fast but he’s faster and he slams into the side of the lead missile. Its trajectory barely changes. Another push nudges it off-course but he doesn’t have time to stop them all. If they breach the planet’s atmosphere-

The Space Stone. Why not use it? He turns to the lead missile and creates a wormhole with a thought and a nudge. The warhead passes through it and emerges from another right into the path of the nearest missile. They explode on impact and set off a chain reaction. 

Jim comes out the other side of the chain reaction and takes dead aim at the nearest Accuser ship. Kree fighters assemble to stop him but their blaster fire don’t faze him. The energy he's expending is both a shield and a weapon; he just absorbs their fire and turns it against them, destroying the smaller ships. He then blows a hole into the warship's hull and flies through it. The warship falls apart around him and he comes out the other side in a cosmic fireball. Explosions consume the Accuser warship and he doesn't feel the least bit sorry about it.

His communicator lights up. Jim glances at the panel while floating over to the Dark Aster, and then accepts the transmission.

"Ronan," he says.

_"Did you think you could fool me? I always knew who you were. I always knew you'd turn on your people, just like your-"_

"Save it. Tell Yon-Rogg to take Starforce off this planet and out of Federation space in six hours. The Kree are no longer welcome here. Order the rest of the fleet to leave this galaxy, or I'm coming after all of you."

Ronan scoffs. _"You dare threaten the Kree Empire?"_

"Yeah, I do dare. What are you going to do about it?"

He draws on the Stone and a bright iridescent corona surrounds him, making it impossible for anyone to miss him visually or on their scanners. He waits.

_"… this is not the end, Tiber."_

"My name is James Tiberius Kirk."

Ronan doesn't answer. The transmission cuts and Jim watches the Dark Aster turn away. Kree fighters fly past him back to their motherships and they warp away. Jim doesn't relax until he sees the Helion emerge from Pollux IV's atmosphere, surround itself in a warp bubble, and vanish.

It's over.


	5. How To Conclude A Hot Mess

"Last time I was here, the Federation was on red alert after one of their ships got blitzed by Klingons. I think. Yeah, pretty sure it was Klingons," Yondu says while taking in the sights and sounds of Pollux IV. "They didn't even know we were orbiting Terra for, oh, thirty minutes?"

"You were in Federation space?" Pike asks skeptically.

"To kidnap me right after my mom died," Quill says matter-of-factly while sitting cross-legged on scorched grass, fixing his jet boots. "He was supposed to take me to my biological dad."

Pike arches an eyebrow at Yondu.

"I've given up my child-stealing ways a _long_ time ago so don't give me that look," the Ravager captain replies. "Nearly cost me my life saving his ass from Ego."

"It was a mess," Nebula chimes in while repairing her mangled arm with Mantis's help. "A real fucking mess."

"Do I want to—no, I don't, forget it." Pike drags a hand down his tired face. "Excuse me while I go explain to Command that Mr. Udonta isn't here to steal more children."

They watch the Starfleet captain limp down the knoll to talk to his officers.

"_Mister_, huh? I like the sound of that," Yondu muses. "Oh, Quill, forgot to tell you earlier. Tivan called me right before I got your message. Tried to comm you about it but you weren't answering."

"He did? When?" Quill’s eyes narrow. “Why?”

Yondu gives Pollux IV another sweeping glance. "Looks like you’ve been real busy. Anyway, he said he didn't need the Tesseract anymore."

"He _what_?"

"Said something about a pink Kree showing up at his shop and trading an Infinity Stone for information and supplies."

Drax looks at the stunned expressions on everybody else's faces. "So this was all for nothing."

"We busted our asses getting to Asgard, got chased around by an army of _dead_ people, a giant wolf almost ate us for lunch, and you're telling me we didn't have to do any of that?" Rocket demands. "I lost my rifle for nothing! Quill, we're going back to Knowhere and-"

"He apologizes for the inconvenience and told me to transfer twenty-five million credits to you on his behalf," Yondu says. "But go ahead, try getting back at him. He'll have you booted off Knowhere and blacklisted from every fence and trading hub _forever_."

"He also knows not to keep the Infinity Stones near each other," Gamora adds. "We're taking the deal."

"Yeah, we want to get paid," Nebula says loudly.

Quill sighs. "Fine."

Yondu gives the Guardians a considering look. "So the rumors were true, huh? Where's that Tesseract anyway? Was it in the Vault like they said it was?"

"No." Quill points at the Asgardians standing near the ruins left behind by Pollux IV's former residents. "See that guy over there? Light hair, blue eyes, glows a bit? Looks familiar to you?"

Kraglin sidles over to them and squints. "Say, isn't that the Kree who roundhouse kicked your control fin off your head that one time?"

"The Stone was inside him for years," Quill says sourly. "It was never on Asgard."

Yondu slowly raises his hand to his fin. "Well shit. Who would've thought?"

The Asgardian in question doesn't notice the Guardians and Ravagers gawking at him. He's too busy trying to keep up with the changing state of Asgard. Now that Asgard the place is gone, what becomes of Asgard the people?

"His offer still stands," Brunnhilde is saying. "And I'm tired of picking up and moving around. Two hundred years is long enough."

"But here? The Federation would have lost this fight without us. We gain nothing from allying with them," Loki says.

"We need to start somewhere," Heimdall says. "The people are tired of searching. They need hope. It is here, on this planet in this space. And I had been observing the Federation for decades. They are young and they stumble, but they learn. Give them a chance."

"What do you think?" Brunnhilde asks Jim.

He blinks. "Me? Federation's not that bad but I didn’t know I was Federation until a few days ago."

"He's right, his opinion doesn't count," Loki agrees. "If you think we should stay, I won't argue. But you can defend your decision to them."

"Of course I get all the dirty work," Brunnhilde replies dryly.

"More like they trust you," Heimdall says. "You're the one who spent those two hundred years finding them and bringing them back to where they belong. They know you have their best interests at heart."

Brunnhilde nods reluctantly, then does a double-take when she reads between the lines. "Are you serious?"

"Very much so. You commanded the Valkyrie and you are now a familiar face to the Federation. The transition will be easier when they know you are at the helm."

Jim realizes what that means for _him_ if she becomes Asgard's next leader. He's the last of Odin's children and the line ends with him.

"I agree with Heimdall,” he offers. “You'd make a great king of Asgard."

"Thanks, I think," she says. "I'll consider it." She looks at Loki. "If you don’t want the throne anymore, then what's your plan? It had better not involve more mischief."

"It's in my name, haven't you heard?" Loki says. "Not much excitement in the Federation. I might hitch a ride with the Guardians and their Ravager allies to elsewhere."

"Pike says nothing's ever quiet here," Jim says. "The Alpha Quadrant's bigger than you think."

"We're Asgardians," Loki says, then pauses. "Eh, nominally Asgardians. Our view of the cosmos is very different. But I don't intend to stay away forever. Unfortunately, they are all I have left." He tilts his head at Brunnhilde and Heimdall. "What are you going to do now, Jim?"

_"Find the answers you're looking for."_

He wants to retrace his past and uncover the lies the Kree fed him. He wants to know who his mother used to be and what made her change her mind about the Kree-Skrull war. And what about his brother Sam? Where is he now? Does he know the truth, too?

How far will he go? Sam must be somewhere in Federation space but every other answer lies outside the Milky Way. Is he ready to leave? Is he willing?

"I need to think about it," he finally says. He watches the Starfleet officers as he speaks; Leonard is the only one looking back at them, at _him_. Jim breaks eye contact first and turns back to Brunnhilde. "There's also this."

He draws out the Space Stone. It sits in his hand, a beautiful blue stone that looks like a trinket sold at one of Hala's many markets. The only clues to its true nature are the glow spreading from Jim's hand down his arm and the taste of ozone in the air.

"You're not keeping it?" Loki asks skeptically.

"I don't need it," Jim says. "And if I do, I'll always be a target. I'm tired of being one."

"But we cannot keep it here," Heimdall says. "There's a reason why Odin held it in his Vault. Too many crave the power and promise of an Infinity Stone. It must be kept somewhere secret and safe. This planet is not it."

"The Collector isn't an option, either," Brunnhilde says. "If I heard things right, he already has a Stone."

"What about the Federation?" Jim suggests.

"With what technology?" Loki counters. "They might be more capable than they look, but they don't know how to safely contain a Stone and protect it."

"I don't see any other entity we can trust to do nothing with it," Brunnhilde says. "Or who doesn't already have a Stone."

"Who else has one?" Jim asks, surprised.

"Of the five, one is held by Xandar’s Nova Corp and another by the Collector on Knowhere," Heimdall says. "Two, nobody knows the whereabouts of. The fifth is in your hand."

"Then let’s ask Pike,” Jim says. “See what he thinks."

"I can't wait," Loki drawls. "He never liked anything we had to say."

* * *

Pike takes one look at the Space Stone in Jim’s hand and says, "Command called us to Starbase 12 to negotiate. It's out of my hands now."

"That went well," Loki mutters to Brunnhilde on the way out of the captain's quarters.

Jim stays behind, knowing Pike wants to talk. After the others leave, Pike sets a bottle of Terran liquor on his desk and searches for a couple glasses.

"Have a seat," Pike says. "Drink? I know I need one."

"Sure," he says and takes that seat.

Pike pours each of them a glass, drinks, and says, "So. You can fly now."

Jim nods while taking a careful sip from his glass. Do Terrans not believe in cocktails? "Think I was always able to but never had a chance to find out. TThe Kree wouldn’t have allowed it anyway. Can’t keep me under their thumb if I can take off whenever I feel like it." 

He prods the spot behind his left ear and winces. The wound is scabbing over.

"Yet all it took was Lieutenant Riley remembering someone named 'Jimmy'," Pike says. "But that was when the Stone was inside you. It's not anymore, so how were you still able to do all of that?"

"No idea." He sets the Stone on the desk and plasma shimmers in the air between it and his hand. It seems reluctant to leave him. "A lot of what we know about Infinity Stones is hearsay. Old stories. Except for the bit about them destroying anyone who touches them. That part's true."

"So I heard from Quill and Gamora," Pike says. He can't stop staring at the Stone but maintains a healthy distance from it. "They said Quill survived contact because he's only half human."

"Yeah, Ronan was real pissed about that.” Jim taps on the lip of his glass, trying to remember his last debriefing with Starforce. “Some species are better at resisting the Stones than others. Also heard a theory that the Stones are sentient but who really knows? Only thing every story said was that the Stones can’t be near each other. Something about circuits and positive feedback loops and destroying the whole universe."

Pike blinks. "… right." He glances at the Stone again. "I'm guessing you know where the other Stones are."

"Two of them. They're not in the Milky Way, and they’re not easy to take."

"So if the Federation keeps this one, that’ll make us a target. Am I right?"

"That’s if anybody else finds out," Jim says, "but the Kree isn’t going to say anything. They lost a Stone twice and this time they got beat by the Federation. They’re not going to admit it."

"You think embarrassment is going to stop them from talking about us?"

"I know how they think," Jim points out. "They want first dibs. They'll keep a secret if they have to."

"That’s not much to work with but you’re right, I don’t know enough about Kree culture to get it," Pike says. He takes another sip and sits back in his seat. "Don't know how Nogura and Marcus will take it. They're admirals. They're meeting us at Starbase 12 to begin talks with Valkyrie and the others about Pollux IV in… twelve hours."

Jim takes it as his cue to leave but Pike shakes his head, keeping Jim in his seat.

"Sir?"

"Call me Pike," the captain says. "The real reason why I want to speak with you is because of what happened on Asgard. How are you holding up?"

"I'm holding up," Jim says immediately. Pike gives him a look. "I'm… not sure where to go from here. I was Federation until I was twelve, then Kree until I was… I guess twenty-six. Found out I was Asgardian a few days ago and then helped Loki destroy Asgard today. It's a lot."

Pike chuckles and taps his glass against Jim's. "That would make anyone's head spin. If it helps any, your official status here will no longer be 'Missing, Presumed Dead'. You'll be a Federation citizen again."

"Oh. Guess there's that."

"And Jim," Pike says, then pauses and takes another look at the Infinity Stone. "After we decide what to do with the Stone, you should give yourself time to think about what you want to do next. And if you still don't know, come talk to me. Starfleet is always looking for new recruits."

Jim arches an eyebrow. "You want me to sign up with Starfleet?"

"Don't make me come find you," Pike says. "But no. I'm just making a suggestion. You've seen and done things no other Starfleet officer would even _dream_ of. I think you have a lot to offer and can do a lot of good for Starfleet and the Federation—but only if you want to."

"Oh. I'll… I'll think about it."

"Good. Now go eat something and sleep. Like I said, we have twelve hours. And take the Stone with you."

Jim pockets it and goes straight to Leonard's quarters. The door opens before he announces himself and he wanders in to see Leonard sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing only his black undershirt and briefs. He stares blankly at a PADD, refusing to give up and sleep even though he clearly needs it.

"You're still awake," Jim says disapprovingly.

"Was waiting for you," Leonard says and tosses the PADD before rubbing his eyes wearily. "You look like shit."

Oddly enough, Jim isn't tired at all. He never slept as much as other Kree did but that's not the same as needing no sleep whatsoever. But that's a question for another time; he's _exhausted_ and desperately needs some downtime.

"So do you," he says cheerfully and crosses the floor to the bed. "Pike says we have twelve hours. I vote on sleep."

"Then get in," Leonard says, nodding to his bed. "And lose the suit."

"Whatever you say, Bones," Jim says before leaning in to kiss him.

For almost two hours, Jim lies awake, watching Leonard sleep and trying to forget the memory of Yon-Rogg holding his pistol to Leonard's head. What did Minn-Erva tell him? _"Don't hesitate."_ She knew Yon-Rogg once spared Leonard's life, and that killing the doctor was their last chance to get Tiber back.

"Never again," he mutters, watching cosmic fire shimmer over his knuckles.

The Space Stone sitting on Leonard's desk glows in response but Jim doesn't see it.

* * *

Starbase 12 is the closest Starfleet base to the Beta Geminorum system and Pollux IV, making it the best place to open negotiations with Valkyrie, Loki, and the Asgardians. Given the circumstances, it's a more informal meeting than the Federation would like but they'll just have to work with what they have.

There's also the matter of deciding what to do with the all-powerful Space Stone.

"You're saying this… 'Space Stone' can generate energy indefinitely," Admiral Nogura says doubtfully, eyeballing the blue Stone. His presence was apparently at the Federation Council's behest, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. "And this energy can be harnessed to create wormholes to travel to other parts of the galaxy-"

"Universe," Loki interjects.

"-in mere minutes."

"Seconds, or so we've been told," Spock says. "We have not confirmed the veracity of these claims but our initial tests show it is capable of generating an indefinite quantity of energy. It defies all laws of thermodynamics."

"This is incredible," Marcus says, leaning forward on his elbows. "This thing alone can advance our technology a hundredfold. Think about it. A starship that doesn't rely on dilithium or-"

"I wouldn't use the stone for any reason," Gamora interrupts.

"Ma'am, do you have any idea what this can do for Starfleet? For the Federation?"

Quill mouths the epitaph at her while stifling his laughter. She rolls her eyes and then points at Marcus. "Your technology is far, far behind that of the Kree, never mind other empires and networks. If they know you have the Stone, they'll come take it and you won't be able to stop them. When Ronan had the Power Stone, he nearly obliterated the heart of the Nova Empire by himself, and Nova is far more advanced than you are. 

"Any single person in possession of an Infinity Stone can and will destroy so much with so little effort that you'll never be able to recover. Is that what you want?"

Marcus opens his mouth, has second and third thoughts, and then sits back in his seat. He folds his arms tightly over his dress uniform. "It seems we have a lot to learn about life outside the quadrants."

"No shame in admitting it, admiral." Everyone turns to see a Starfleet flag officer striding into the conference room with several PADDs under his arm. Jim had never seen him before; he's dark-skinned and wears an eye-patch rather than a cybernetic eye. "Sorry for being late. Was wrapping up a conference call with our friendly Klingon neighbors. L'Rell reported that all Kree ships left the Neutral Zone and haven't snuck back in. Guess they decided to listen to whoever scared their pants off."

"Nick," Nogura says, "perhaps you can help us decide what to do with the Stone."

The officer glances at the Stone sitting on the table. "Infinity Stone, right? Talos said-"

"Talos?" Jim interrupts. "As in General Talos?"

"Is there another Talos around who knows anything about Infinity Stones and Kree?" The officer takes a second look at Jim and his good eye narrows. "Do I know you?"

"I don't. But I know Talos. Starforce followed him into Federation space a few years ago but lost his trail near Terra."

"Oh yeah, I remember that." The officer sits on the edge of the conference table next to Marcus, forcing the admiral to lean away. "He and his crew gave me everything on 'Starforce' except they couldn't make heads or tails of this one kid who could shoot photon energy with his fists. That you?"

"Maybe."

The Terran huffs and looks at Nogura. "We can keep the Stone. Might not be able to handle it ourselves but we know enough people who can help."

"How will you prevent others from finding and taking it for themselves?" Gamora asks with more intensity than is necessary.

"I don't know what you're talking about. See how easy that was?" The officer glances between the skeptical expressions on Gamora and Valkyrie's faces. "Look, just because we 'only' achieved warp two hundred years ago doesn't mean we should still be treated with kid gloves. Starfleet can do this. Hell, you'll be here. So will Talos." He turns to Nogura. "We can do this, Chiro. Trust me."

Nogura drums his fingers on the table and then looks at Marcus. The other admiral nods.

"If we can move it off-site now, do it," Nogura decides. "No sense in waiting around." He turns to Quill and Gamora. "We recovered a ship from Cerberus. It's of unknown make but definitely not Federation, Klingon, or Romulan. Looks like one of the engines was shot out but it was a controlled landing. I assume it's yours?"

* * *

After the long meeting that resulted in a tentative outline of an agreement between the Federation and what Loki branded "New Asgard", the one-eyed Starfleet officer stops Jim outside the conference room.

"James T. Kirk, right?" the Terran says. "Name's Fury. Mind if we take a walk?"

"Do I have a choice?" 

"That depends," Fury says and walks away.

Jim glances at Pike, who's talking with Nogura and Spock about Cerberus, and hurries after the officer.

"So I read your dossier—and yes, you have one, wrote it up after Talos told me all about how you punched holes in his ship with your magic fists. What?"

"It's not magic." Jim holds up his right hand. Energy shimmers around it and the nearest light panels start flickering. "It's the Space Stone."

"But we just took it away."

"Does your writeup include what happened to me on Tarsus IV? Kevin Riley and I-"

"Found an Infinity Stone and Starforce came looking for it. What, you thought I didn't know? You won't believe how much we know that Starfleet doesn't. Except for the bit about you surviving an Infinity Stone exploding. What I want to know is, why didn't you die? From what I heard, people tend to do that when they come into contact with a Stone in its true form."

Jim shrugs. He's in no mood to talk Infinity Stone theories again. "I don't know."

"Guess we'll just chalk it up to luck. So the reason I wanted to talk to you is because I want to make you an offer. We can use someone with your set of skills."

"We?" Then, "What skills?"

"Starfleet. Well, a division within Starfleet." Fury enters a smaller conference room, looks around, then beckons Jim inside. He then punches in a code to lock the door and takes out a scanner. "Hang on, need to check for bugs."

"Starfleet bugs their conference rooms?" Jim asks. "You know how that sounds?"

"Yeah. And no, I don't know but you can never be too careful." Fury checks the results before pocketing the scanner. "No bugs, so let me give it to you straight. I'm part of an organization called Section 31. We're an offshoot of Intelligence but they don't know that. In fact, only a handful of people in Command and the Council know we exist. The two admirals in that conference room? They're the only ones on this starbase who know what I really work for.

"I'm the commodore in charge of Project Pegasus. We've been working with the Skrulls for several decades to assess and coordinate countermeasures against threats from outside the Milky Way. I'll admit, we didn't do a good job when your blue buddies showed up on Cerberus. But now that we know how we stack up against the Kree, I want to improve our response times and actual ability to react to those threats. You know what I'm saying?"

"Think I got the idea," Jim says. He's already so tired.

"I know Captain Pike is talking about getting you into Starfleet but that means going through the Academy Board. Bet he's already petitioning Barnett to let you bypass the whole thing and jump right into service. Me? I can get you your own badge and access codes right here, right now." Fury pats a badge over his left breast. It's similar to the one worn by other Starfleet officers but it's in shades of black and gray instead of gold or silver. "But only if you want in."

Jim exhales slowly. He looks at his hands; they glow and little tongues of cosmic fire burst over his knuckles and between his fingers. When he looks up, Fury is staring at them, entranced. "You know why Yon-Rogg kidnapped me from Tarsus?"

"The… Kree with the yellow eyes, right? He's the Starforce commander."

"Yeah. He took me because I absorbed the Space Stone and he didn't know how to take it out. Next best thing was making me a weapon so he lied to me about who I am, where I came from, and why we're fighting a war with the Skrulls. Now you're asking me to join your Pegasus project because I still have my powers. You want me to turn me into your weapon?"

Fury hums. "Yeah, I can see how this looks to you. You're only half-right, by the way. Everyone in Section 31 is a weapon. Don't think you're getting special treatment just because you can shoot energy out of your fingertips. No, I want you because you lived outside the Milky Way for fourteen years. You know things that we don't. You've seen and done things we never could've _dreamed_ of seeing and doing. Your knowledge and experience is just as useful as your ability to punch through reinforced hulls and fly in space."

A change then comes over Fury's face and his eye softens. "And I have a personal reason to ask. I used to serve on the USS Faraday as a security officer. I was there when we made first contact with the Skrulls. Yeah, I was on the ground when we met your parents. I was friends with them until the Narada happened. Kept in touch with your mom for a while after all that, but then I got recruited into Section 31. By the time I came knocking, your brother was gone and you got sent to Tarsus."

Jim's eyes widen. There was a Fury in Pike's report of that first contact. "You knew everything."

"Not quite. Imagine my surprise when someone kicked down the door of my super secret hideout a few weeks after Tarsus, saying she was ready to go back out into the black to kick Kree ass." Fury takes one of his PADDs, inputs a few commands, and hands it to Jim. "Winona Kirk resigned from Starfleet a week after the the first responders arrived on Tarsus. One month later, Mar-Vell was listed as a known friendly in Section 31's databases."

Jim looks down at the holo of a woman who shares his hair and smile. She had barely aged since his last memory of her but her gaze is weary and her smile doesn't reach her eyes.

"She's Section 31?"

"No," Fury says, annoyed. "She wouldn't join out of principle so she's an outside agent like Talos. She's been coordinating extractions for his last cells, fucking around with Kree operations, and protecting anyone and any planet under threat from them. Whatever it takes to make the Kree miserable, or so she told me. She'd been spying on them, too, but didn't know about the Asgard treasure hunt until it was too late."

"Where is she now?" Why is his voice shaking?"

"Somewhere near the Shi'ar Empire, wherever that is. She should be back in a few months." Fury takes the PADD back and locks the device. "You should know she still blames herself for what happened. No one's supposed to survive an Infinity Stone exploding. Looks like you're the first."

The warmth in Fury's eye and voice vanishes with his next words. "Now that you know we exist, anything else you want to know? Any questions? No? You probably don't have an answer for me right now but I'd like one in the next few days. Think about it, Kirk.

"And keep this conversation between us. The less people know about Section 31, the fewer people I need to silence. Don't need the Kree showing up in these parts again, if you get my drift."

"I told them not to come back," Jim says but Fury has already unlocked the door and left.

* * *

Thirty-five hours have come and gone since he spoke with Fury.

Jim finds Starbase 12 a little too big and not big enough. He swears the commodore is following him but he can never confirm it; everywhere he goes, he thinks he sees the one-eyed Terran watching him at the bar, across the room, down the corridor, in the shadows. It makes him twitchy.

"What's gotten into you?" Leonard asks while they wander around an Andorian trader's tiny shop on one of several decks reserved for recreation and leisure.

Jim thinks he sees a one-eyed man chatting with a Nausicaan across the plaza but a group of Starfleet officers from another starship pass by and when they're gone, only the Nausicaan remains. He shrugs and then touches a small scar behind his left ear, half-expecting to feel the control implant.

"Nothing," he says. "Just thought I saw something."

"Uh-huh," Leonard replies. "I don't suppose it has anything to do with that meeting you had with some admirals about New Asgard. Don't think I didn't notice."

"Maybe? Don't want to talk about it," he says uneasily. Is Fury watching to make sure he keeps his mouth shut?

"Fine by me." Leonard turns and leaves the shop. "Damn rug reminds me of that Cerberus house."

Jim looks back while they walk away and spots the offending Andorian rug. He can't remember much of the house from that day but to be fair, his attention was definitely not on some unnamed Terran's choice of interior decor.

The Enterprise crew is on mandatory shore leave while the starship undergoes repairs and resupply. Debriefings have been scheduled throughout the fourteen days the Enterprise is docked to review everything that happened since the starship first arrived at Cerberus, and so far all but one member of the senior staff has had their meeting. Even Kevin went in before Leonard did, and that debriefing took almost five hours to complete.

"What are you going to tell them?" Jim asks a few hours later. They're at a restaurant that serves a fair imitation of Terran food but he hasn't had much of an appetite lately and just pushes the food around his plate.

"Nothing they don't need to know about or have any business knowing," Leonard says immediately, then arches an eyebrow at Jim's plate. "Do the Kree eat vegetables? Are vegetables a thing on their world?"

"Mom never got me to eat these and I'm not about to start," Jim says defiantly and shoves aside the sad pile of synthesized broccoli.

Leonard huffs and sits back. "I can't recall you ever talking about your mother without looking like something died in your mouth."

He shrugs. He still resents her but he also can't get Fury's words out of his head. He can't stop thinking about the holo of the Kree formerly known as Winona Kirk. Whenever he sees his reflection, he sees her and her distant, tired eyes.

"Guess I realized it was time for me to move on." He picks up his drink. "Helps knowing just how much she pissed off Yon-Rogg. Imagine how he felt when I turned on him, too."

"I'm all for continuing the trend," Leonard drawls. "Never liked him much. Broke into my apartment and knocked me out cold, then tried to shoot me while I was busy patching someone up."

"He'll never get that chance again," Jim says more harshly than he means to.

"Jim," Leonard says mildly, glancing at his hand.

He looks at it and sees energy crackling over his knuckles and around the rim of his cocktail. He dissipates it with a thought before surveying the restaurant. Nobody else seems to notice but he swears someone wearing an eye-patch was just walking by the restaurant. He sets the glass down and prods his temple. "Sorry."

"Just pay attention next time," Leonard says and spears some wilted zucchini. "You still haven't told me what Pike offered you."

He sighs and takes a large gulp of whatever his cocktail is. He's in no mood to talk about this either, especially when he hasn't said anything to Brunnhilde and Loki yet. "He wants me to join Starfleet but I think he wants me to skip the Academy and go straight into service."

"I wish him luck. Barnett's a bit of a stickler for the rules," Leonard replies. "If they don't, are you signing up?"

He hesitates. "I don't know yet. Have a lot to think about."

"Take all the time you need," Leonard says but his expression is guarded. "Decision should be yours."

They return to their meal but too many unspoken words hang in the air between them. Unsettled, Jim excuses himself and wanders around until he finds an observation deck; he takes a seat to mull over his options. Life likes to come at him fast, though, so he only gets fifteen minutes to work himself up to processing those thoughts before Spock finds him.

"Kirk." Then, "Jim. We need to talk."

"Did you just call me 'Jim'? And what is it?" Jim asks.

Spock looks around. They're the only ones on the deck but he says simply, "Please follow me."

"Not much of an answer," Jim says but he has nothing better to do. He tips out of his seat and follows the Vulcan to the nearest lift.

"Computer, Deck 5," Spock says. "Do you remember the conversation we had outside the captain's quarters?"

Jim has to think. "Before or after Pollux?"

"Before."

He remembers the disbelief on Pike's face when Brunnhilde admitted she didn't tell the whole truth about Asgard. Then he remembers Spock asking him a question. "You said I should know the truth about the Enterprise's maiden voyage."

"After a fashion. Has anyone told you about the Narada?"

"I—Starforce came here because of it. We were on assignment to investigate the origins of the ship."

Spock arches an eyebrow. "The Kree knew?"

"Hard not to notice a single ship destroying an entire Klingon fleet. We had to investigate."

"And then?"

"And then it attacked C-13. Obliterated it with what Yon-Rogg said was a… the… C-13 was Vulcan. Spock, I'm sorry-"

"Why are you apologizing?" Spock asks. "You had nothing to do with it."

"Still. I'm sorry it happened. Nobody deserves that." He rocks back on his feet. "A few days after that, we got word that a Federation starship destroyed the Narada. Our new objective was to hack the Starfleet databases and extract as much information about the Narada as we could."

Spock raises the other eyebrow. "Really."

"Yeah. We reached Terra a week after it happened. Yon-Rogg and I went planet-side since we were the only ones who could pass as Terran. Never found out how much information we actually got. Only thing I heard was that the ship had Borg tech."

"Borg tech," Spock repeats.

"Yeah. You don't know the—oh, guess not." Maybe Fury's offer isn't so outrageous after all. "They're a cybernetic 'collective' in your Delta Quadrant. The Kree's been watching them for a while."

"I see," the Vulcan says. "Is that all you gleaned from our databases?"

"Like I said, we were only there for the Narada," Jim replies. "All your other secrets are safe. Didn't know the Enterprise was the one that stopped it from attacking C-53—Terra, I mean Terra."

"I assume you mean Earth."

"Yeah, Earth." He flashes an awkward smile. When will he stop reminding everyone, himself included, that he didn’t grow up here? "Didn't you say someone could explain the Narada?"

"Yes." The lift finally comes to a stop and they stride down the corridor. "He's been… anticipating this meeting for over a year."

"A year? Why—wait. You're saying he's been wanting to meet me since before I remembered my name?"

They enter a briefing room with a large view screen. The intercom on the table is blinking but Spock ignores it. He turns to Jim but hesitates. He actually looks _nervous_.

"There are… certain events that took place before you or I were born that would not have changed the trajectory of what was to be. The Narada's arrival and what it did to your parents was what altered our futures."

"Thought Vulans were all about Kol-Ut-Shan," Jim says, remembering a factoid from the Narada-Terra briefing.

"We are ‘all about’ it,” Spock says, eyebrow arching at Jim’s near flawless pronunciation. "It is best if he explains. Come find me after your conversation is over. I will be on the observation deck."

He leaves, stranding Jim with the flashing intercom and a blank screen. He stares at it, wondering who's on the other side.

_"Find the answers you're looking for."_

He accepts the transmission and the view screen flickers to life. His jaw drops.

"It is so good to see you again, Jim," Spock says.

Vulcans are a long-lived race and Spock—this Spock, the one on the screen and not the one who just left the room—has clearly lived a long life. His hair and brows are gray and his face wrinkled with time. His eyes are piercing yet warm and his smile is completely at odds with the often straight line of the other Spock's mouth. Yet Jim knows in his bones that he's not imagining things. They are the same Vulcan.

And yet.

"Your eyes do not deceive you," the older Spock says. "I am Spock, the same Vulcan who currently serves on the Enterprise as her first and science officers."

"I've seen a lot," Jim says faintly, confused, "but this is… time travel. That's what it is, isn't it? You're from the future. And if you have answers for the day the Narada came, then that ship's from the future, too."

"You are indeed correct."

Jim laughs. "No wonder the Intelligence couldn't make sense of it."

"The Narada and I are not only from the future but also from another reality. Where I come from, James T. Kirk was human. He was born and raised in Riverside, Iowa. He survived Tarsus IV and was an exemplary Starfleet cadet. And his father lived long enough to see him become captain of the Enterprise."

His head is spinning. This is impossible. "Bullshit."

Spock chuckles. "It does sound outlandish even to me. But it is the truth. Like my younger counterpart, I served on the Enterprise under Captain Pike. The makeup of the crew was… different, but I suppose that is a consequence of my interfering with the past. The rest of the crew that you know came to the Enterprise before, during, and after you became her next captain. We embarked on a legendary five-year mission into deep space and saw through many adventures together. We eventually parted ways, but you were always my friend.

"I lived long enough to see the Federation and the Klingon Empire end their long cold war and become allies. I lived long enough to see the beginning and the end of the Dominion War. I lived long enough to try to save Romulus from destruction by a supernova. That was what brought me here, Jim. I failed to save Romulus and so the crew of the Narada declared war on the Federation."

"But how did you get here?" Jim asks. "How did you go back in time?" Then, “The Narada was _Romulan_?”

Spock smiles tightly. "It was. We travelled back in time through a wormhole. There was no… Infinity Stone to help us so we learned how to create them ourselves. An imperfect science and the absolute last resort to stop the supernova from doing even more damage to the heart of the Romulan Empire. I created a wormhole to neutralize the supernova. As you probably guessed, I could not escape its gravitational pull. Neither could the Narada.

"But that wormhole did more than send us back in time. It sent us back in time to this reality, where Skrulls and Kree exist, where Infinity Stones are near-incomprehensible objects of power, where you are not human."

Jim almost wants to apologize but how is that his fault?

"But what does it matter?" the elder Spock continues. "You and I are proof of infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Countless realities, countless possibilities, countless ways for us to exist. Yet I could not ignore what remained inevitable. You still found your way to the Enterprise. You still found your way to your crew."

This is—this is too much. How deep is this wormhole? How far is Jim willing to go for answers to questions he never thought existed? What had Spock—his Spock, the one on this starbase—gotten him into? "How do I know you're not fucking with me?"

The elder Spock smiles. "I wondered how to answer that question. So much had changed because of me, but I believe you're still the only one who calls your brother 'Sam'."

Jim opens his mouth, then shuts it.

"I thought that, given your history here, very few people would even remember it," Spock says, smiling. It isn't a happy one, though, and dread settles in Jim's stomach. Did something happen to Sam in Spock's reality? "I've been searching for him."

"You have?" Jim asks, shocked. Why would the old Vulcan even bother? 

"You could say I felt… obligated," he says evasively. "He lives on Deneva. He married a woman named Aurelan, and I believe they're about to have their first child."

Jim laughs incredulously. Sam's life sounds so _normal_ compared to his, and Sam was the one who ran away. "That's it?"

"I didn't want to intrude. How was I to explain myself?" Spock says wryly. His expression then sobers. "Jim, I am telling you this because you deserve to know the truth. You deserve to know how it all began. But that is all I will say. Everything I know, everything I experienced, are now only memories. They have no bearing on what you will do with your life."

"Pike wants me to join Starfleet," Jim blurts out. "And if you say I become captain of the Enterprise-"

"If that is what you want," the elder Spock says with infinite patience. "Don’t live a life that never existed, a life that is only one possibility. Do what is best for you. I only ask that you don't forget the Enterprise or her crew. They will prove invaluable friends and allies."

"They already are." He sits back on his heels and considers this older Vulcan who searched for Sam when neither Kirk knew anything about Spock. What did Jim Kirk really mean to him? "Can I come see you later, after I sort things out? I know I can’t have what you had but I want to hear about it. Maybe I can learn something."

"Of course," Spock says. His smile mirrors Jim's tentative one. "Anything for you, my old friend."

* * *

The hours are counting down until everyone goes their separate ways . A decision is coalescing in Jim's head but he wavers and he doesn’t know who to ask. He didn’t like Leonard’s reaction when he hesitated at the idea of joining Starfleet, plus Leonard still hadn’t been called in for his debriefing and Jim didn’t want to bother him. 

The delay worries Jim for another reason—Fury made it clear that certain divisions within Starfleet knew things that they just didn't care to divulge with others and Jim didn't want to know exactly _what_ Section 31 had on Leonard. 

Jim tries spending more time with Brunnhilde and Loki, but that isn’t going well. They're still drawing out the terms of New Asgard's admission into the Federation; news of the attack on Cerberus and the battle at Pollux IV is starting to get around, and some believe the Asgardians will attract more unwanted attention to the Federation when it’s still rebuilding after the Narada assault. 

"I told you," Loki says as he and the Valkyrie return to the large guest suites they're sharing with Jim. "What did I tell you?"

"Don't even start," Brunnhilde snaps back. "Heimdall."

Jim watches her eyes glow gold, then jumps when Heimdall suddenly stands in the center of the living area. He still can't get used to it.

"They still don't know why the Kree attacked Cerberus," Heimdall says.

"It's better if they don't," she replies snippily. "They don't need to know anything about the Space Stone."

"The Kree will start to suspect it," Loki says. "Why else are the Asgardians still here? Why else is _he_ still here?"

"I was born here,” Jim scowls. “And I told the Kree I’d come for them if they returned here. They know what I can do."

"There are more than just the Kree to worry about," Brunnhilde says. "You can't protect the Federation by yourself. Don't be stupid."

"I'm not," Jim says but she's already moved on, discussing the legalese of several of the terms with Heimdall while Loki lounges around on the sofa and throws in a quip now and then.

He leaves them to their discussion and goes to the observation deck. He sits and watches shuttles crossing between starships and the spacedocks. Eventually he realizes one of the starships is the Enterprise herself, still undergoing repairs. From what little he heard, the Enterprise's shields were nearly breached when Jim arrived to stop the Accusers’ judgment. It's a good thing Jim got there when he did, because it would be a shame to lose such an elegant starship. 

"It's beautiful isn't it," someone says behind him. 

He twists in his seat and looks up at Brunnhilde. She gives the Enterprise a pensive look, then sits on a cushioned stool across from Jim. She looks exhausted but for very different reasons than their fight against both Hela and the Kree.

"No wonder Loki decided he'd rather not be ruler of Asgard," she says. "I've never been very good at diplomacy."

"Bet he is, though," Jim replies.

"But for whose gain? That's always the question with him." She sits back and studies him. "A lot of people want you to join Starfleet. Do you want to?"

He taps on his knee. "Part of me does, but I don't know if it's because they think I should. I want to do what's right for me, but I can't tell."

"Maybe you should leave for a while. Get away from all the noise," she suggests. "You have that option now."

It sounds promising. Compelling, even. It also coincides with his plans to go back out into the cosmos to discover and undo whatever the Kree had done with him. He just doesn’t want to leave Leonard behind again.

Brunnhilde already knows what's holding him back. "Did you talk to him?"

"Nope," Jim says. "He didn't like that my first decision wasn't signing up with Starfleet."

"And? Jim, he'll understand. You just have to explain why. And I know you're coming back. I saw the way you looked at that ship."

"It's just a Federation starship," Jim says defensively. The Helion is superior in every way, and the Dark Aster can outfight anything in the Milky Way—well, almost anything. Jim doesn’t know how powerful the Borg is but the Kree didn't feel like finding out.

"It sure is," Brunnhilde says. "You know what you need to do. Just explain it to the people who need to know and get it over with before they go."

She pats his shoulder, gets up, and leaves him to his thoughts and the view of the Enterprise.

* * *

The first thing Jim tells Fury when the commodore tracks him down is, "I still have to think about it."'

"You mean no. That's cool. Your mother said the same thing. Fine by me." Fury leans in. "If you need anything, just ask for Pegasus. They'll know to call me."

"Okay," Jim says suspiciously. Why isn't Fury putting up a bigger fight?

Fury reads his face and smirks. "I know how to find you, kid."

He salutes Jim and strolls away.

The Guardians leave several hours later. Once Quill learned that the Milano is fully operational again, he rounded up the others and asked Yondu for a ride back to Cerberus. Everyone meets at one of the shuttlebays to see off the Guardians because nobody went through what they went through without feeling a little something at the parting of ways.

After the polite goodbyes and well wishes, an apology to Drax for knocking him out cold in the streets of Cerberus, and a good-natured non-apology from Rocket on Groot's behalf, Jim goes looking for Mantis. The empath finds him first and hugs him.

"I'm glad things worked out, Jim Kirk," she says cheerfully.

"You broke through the Kree brainwashing," he says. "I can't thank you enough."

"That's all because of Kevin. With some help from Loki. Thank him instead." She pats his shoulder, then looks around the shuttlebay. "You should talk to him."

She's staring at Leonard, who's talking with Gamora and Nebula about something or another. Jim scowls at her.

"Are you reading my thoughts?"

"Emotions, I'm reading your emotions," she reminds him. "You should wonder why I felt it from a hug. Be honest with him. He likes that."

"Does that mean you'll stop talking about my emotions?" Jim asks.

"Of course not!" She beams. "See you out there, Jim. Good luck."

Fury leaves Starbase 12 the next day and Leonard is finally called in for his debriefing. With both Brunnhilde and Pike gone to another meeting with the two admirals, Jim decides to go searching for Kevin.

"Computer," he asks the nearest companel. "Where's Kevin Riley?"

_"Lieutenant Kevin Riley is currently in the observation room on Deck 11."_

For such a popular deck on a busy starbase, Jim rarely sees more than one person in it at any given time. When he walks in, the younger man is the only one there and he's dozing off in a lounge chair facing the tall wide windows. Jim looks out at the docked starships and his eyes inevitably find the Enterprise. His heart swells at the sight and the elder Spock's words bubble up in the back of his mind. Did he really captain that starship? Were both of his parents really there to see it happen?

He shakes his head, then goes to Kevin and clears his throat. Kevin stirs, then jolts upright when he sees who's standing in front of him.

"Hey," Jim says. He looks around, then drags over a stool to sit on.

Kevin rubs the sleep out of his face. "Hi. What brings you here?"

"I asked the computer where you were. I thought… I thought maybe we could talk."

Kevin cocks his head to the side. "Okay."

Jim wrings his hands, thinking about what Mantis told him. "I don't think I ever thanked you. You never stopped trying to bring me back."

Kevin shrugs. "I almost destroyed the Enterprise doing that." He smiles sheepishly. "Thought Pike was going to kick me off his ship."

Jim flinches. He doesn't remember what exactly happened… or he doesn't want to because that means recalling the memories Mantis dredged up, memories the Kree locked away for so many years. "Wasn't I the one who almost went supernova? But if you hadn't done that, I wouldn't be here."

"You saved my life," Kevin says quietly and with such conviction. Jim almost sees the little boy he saved from Kodos's men in the lieutenant sitting in front of him. "Getting you back was the least I could do." He suddenly frowns. "Are you saying goodbye? Are you leaving?"

"Yeah. I'm not going back to the Enterprise."

"For good?"

He shakes his head. "For a while. I have fourteen years of Kree brainwashing to work through first. I do not recommend it."

Kevin laughs. "I believe you. So that means you're going to come back."

"Obviously. Everyone who matters to me is here. You're here. Bones is here. Pike and Brunnhilde and-"

"Bones?"

Jim pauses, backtracks, and realizes what he said. "I mean McCoy. Dr. McCoy. I, uh, I called him 'Sawbones' once and it stuck."

Kevin looks at him very oddly. "Only other person I know who calls him that is Mitchell, and it's only once in a while. Always pissed McCoy off because the smart thing to do is getting on the ship doctor’s bad side."

"Mitchell?" The only Mitchell Jim knew about was the strange Enterprise crew member who talked about ESP, knew too much about Tarsus, and told him to talk to Leonard. "Gary Mitchell?"

"Oh god, you met him." Kevin leans in. "We think he's half Betazoid. Don't play cards with him, don't bet against him, don't play any kind of guessing game with him. You'll lose." He pauses, then frowns at himself. "He said I should come up here."

"You're saying he knew we were going to meet?" Jim asks.

"Probably. He's a bit of an ass." Kevin then looks past Jim to the docked Enterprise. "But he's never wrong. He convinced Spock to go to Delta Vega for help. There's just one outpost there but we found… well, we found help. So now everyone listens when he talks."

Jim nods slowly. Mitchell may have been stumped by whatever the Infinity Stone was doing to his "powers" but he still got Jim to go find Leonard and talk. 

Wait. 

"You know," he says, holding out his right hand. Energy shimmers over his knuckles, catching Kevin's attention. "He can't read me because of this."

It takes seconds for the younger man to catch on. A slow smile spreads across his face. "Last I saw him, he was at a bar on Deck 4, playing cards with Sulu, Chekov, and some guys from Security. He was beating them pretty badly."

"He hasn't played against me yet," Jim says cheerfully and stands. "But, uh, you need to teach me how to play."

Kevin laughs. "Then you owe me a Saurian brandy."

"A what?"

"Guess they don't have them out there wherever you were. Fine. Drinks are on me, Jimmy. Dinner, too, if you wipe Mitchell out. Let's go."

* * *

There are twenty-six hours left until the Enterprise departs for her next mission.

Jim takes a deep breath and goes looking for Leonard. The starbase computer tells him the doctor had returned to the Enterprise and the ship’s computer tells him Leonard is in his quarters. Jim takes the scenic route and then three more detours. He arrives forty minutes late but at least he's here.

"Can I come in?" he asks and the door slides open.

Leonard is standing at his desk, comparing data between his PADD and the computer, when Jim enters. An open bottle of liquor sits on the table and Leonard is nursing a glass of it.

"Started drinking without me?" Jim asks brightly while picking it up. He sniffs it. "Bourbon again?"

"If you want something else, you supply it. And don't drink from the bottle. Who taught you your manners? There's a glass."

Jim sips it, makes a face at the strong taste, and takes another. "Bones-"

"Pike said you're not coming with us," Leonard says, looking up at him. "You told him you need time to think."

Straight to the point. Jim looks at the dark amber liquor in his glass. "I told everyone that."

"Who else came looking for you?"

Fury told him not to tell but Jim thinks that's unfair. He spent half of his life living a lie and that nearly ruined his relationship with Leonard. He's not about to start again. "You ever see a one-eyed commodore wandering around the starbase?"

Leonard has to think. "Yeah. A few times. More than I thought. Why?"

"His name's Fury. He'll tell you he works for Starfleet Intelligence but he's actually with Section 31."

"Never heard of it."

"That's the point. Only ones who know are Nogura, Marcus, me, and now you," Jim says with a grimace. "They're a black ops group like Starforce except the Kree know Starforce exists and almost no one in the Federation knows what Section 31 is. Fury's in charge of Project Pegasus."

"Right, Pegasus. He asked you to join?"

Jim nods and takes another sip. "That… night I met you, Starforce was chasing a Skrull general named Talos. He works with Fury now." A deep breath. "My mother does, too."

"Your mother? Seriously?"

Jim nods. He thinks about the holo on the dossier Fury showed him, the woman who looks so much like him and Sam. "Her real name's Mar-Vell. Fury said she's somewhere near the Shi'ar Empire. She won't be back for a while."

Leonard shakes his head. "You think I know what that is?"

"The Shi'ar are a humanoid race descending from bird-like ancestors. They're from Chandilar and are big fans of triangles."

Leonard arches an eyebrow. "You expect that to make any sense?"

He laughs and drinks from his glass. He's making headway with the bourbon and starting to feel it. "It's why Fury asked me to join. Pegasus protects the Federation from intergalactic threats. That’s why he’s working with Talos and Mar-Vell, but I'm the only one who can actually fight back."

"But you refused."

"I've done my time with one black ops team,” Jim says bitterly. “I'm not doing it again."

"Then what are you going to do?"

He shrugs. "Loki's getting antsy about staying put and wants to hitch a ride with the Guardians. I might join him." He huffs. "Or not. There's someone I… you know about the other Spock?"

"Sure do,” Leonard says with a long-suffering sigh. “We found him and Scott on Delta Vega while chasing the Narada. We were having a real bad day, couldn't make sense of anything, and there he was with answers that made even less sense. He told me things about the Leonard McCoy he knew. Still freaks me out when I think about it." He shakes his head. "Said I had blue eyes."

"He said I was human," Jim says. He’s tiring of the bourbon and sets it aside. "I talked to him a few days ago. Apparently my family wasn't a fucking mess and my father lived long enough to see me captain the Enterprise. It sounds fake, but he—he knew something about me that this Spock wouldn't."

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?” Leonard says thoughtfully. "About what kind of life you lived in his timeline. Whether or not it's the life you're supposed to live. Mine didn’t change too much but you, well."

"Not possible for me with these." Jim summons energy to his hands and they glow. "Not after what I've been through. Even if I wasn't… half Asgardian, my dad dying when he did changed everything. I'll never be his Jim Kirk. I'll never have the life he had."

"I doubt he wants you to because it’s impossible, unfair, and illogical," Leonard says. "You're the sum of everything that happened to you, Jim. No use trying to make yourself into someone you're not. I say you should go with your gut and join Loki. Go clear your head and figure shit out without us around to confuse you."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Leonard says dryly and drains the rest of his glass. He points at himself. "That's what I did. Why else did I sign up to go to space?"

"To find me." And then Jim thinks about what Leonard is really saying. Didn’t he want Jim to stick around and join Starfleet? What changed? "What are you saying?"

Leonard sighs. "Been drinking and thinking. When you were Tiber, you knew who you were and where you belonged. But Jim Kirk… doesn't. You went missing for over ten years and you came back to find out everything you knew before Tarsus was a lie, too."

"I'm working through it," Jim says defensively. "I'm getting my answers."

"And I bet a bunch of them are out there somewhere, beyond the four quadrants," Leonard continues. "You'd have to leave the Milky Way to find them."

"So?" 

"I don't want you holding yourself back just because of me," Leonard says. "Because wherever you're going, I'm not coming with. My place is here, on the Enterprise."

"I know that," Jim says, and then reads between the lines. "Bones-" He goes up to Leonard and kisses him. "I'm coming back, I swear."

"How do I know?" Leonard asks quietly, hoarsely. 

It's always about that night last year. It's always about that late hour when Jim searched a Terran drive bar for a target and saw Leonard walking in. Tiber knew the consequences if he stayed for too long, knew what could happen to him and Leonard if Starforce ever found out, but Jim is only outracing the chronometer. He has nothing to fear and everything to promise.

"You're here," he says honestly and earnestly, "and nobody's keeping me away again." He holds up his hand and cosmic fire bursts in his palm. "I'd like to see them try."

He feels a huff of laughter against his lips as Leonard slowly relaxes. 

"First thing Starfleet’ll teach you is that you can’t solve everything by punching them." Leonard is smiling, though, and looking beautiful in the light. "Okay. I can wait. What's another year?"

"Won't be gone that long." Jim kisses him again and hums when Leonard returns it. "Besides, you're the one leaving in twenty-four hours."

"Don't you go turning this around," Leonard grumbles before hauling him in for another kiss. His mouth is hot and tastes of bourbon, and Jim decides this is a much better way to indulge in Terran liquor. "Just so you know, I need to at my medbay in nine."

"Not a problem.”

Jim presses his tongue into Leonard's mouth, wanting another taste. He presses up against the older man, making his intentions _very_ clear. Fingers curl into his shirt and Leonard shudders, pushes back reflexively. Jim grins and leans in to whisper, "I'll make every minute count."

"We'll see about that," Leonard says, promising so many things with just his voice. It's sinking into that ridiculously rich and lazy drawl he calls "Southern", whatever that means. "Come here."

Jim follows him to bed. They’re less than successful getting in it, especially with Jim’s constant fidgeting and bright hot desire getting in the way of common sense and spatial sense. Jim nearly concusses himself on the wall while straddling Leonard and stripping his shirt off. 

"Had worse," he says, laughing, when Leonard immediately probes his head for injury. "Should ask me about the A'askavariian I slept with once. Needed the-" 

He pauses, mostly because he'd done so to get their access codes to a certain black market dealer's warehouse, but also because, "You have no idea what I'm talking about."

"Nope," Leonard says, arching an eyebrow. "I just hope you're not thinking about someone else when you're with me."

"Never." 

He grinds down for emphasis and heat sears up his spine at Leonard's low groan, the bucking hips and the hands kneading desperately around his bare hips. Jim's more careful of where his head is in relation to the wall as he leans over and murmurs, "It's just us, Bones. Just you and me."

Those last four words seem to snap whatever doubts still linger in Leonard's mind. Next thing Jim knows, he's on his back and helping Leonard get rid of the rest of their clothes. It's a relief when Leonard slides between his thighs and kisses his mouth, the pulse of his neck, his clavicle, his left shoulder, while thrusting against him. Jim moans and grips the bedsheets tightly, pressing his knees around Leonard to keep him right where everything feels amazing.

"Fuck, Bones," he gasps, back arching as he teeters close to the edge.

"Later, darlin'," Leonard says, voice hot and desperate in his ear. "I can promise you that."

He makes good on his promise two hours later, and Jim almost loses control of more than his body. Cosmic fire bursts from his clenched hands and singes the sweat-soaked sheets. Neither realizes it until after they sink down from their blissful high.

Leonard crinkles his nose and says, "What's that smell?"

"Do you want the gross answer or…." Jim tilts his head up to see the blackened fabric where his hands had been. "Oh shit."

Leonard laughs against his neck and doesn't stop for a long while. "How the hell am I explaining that?"

"You're a doctor. You don't know how to handle your phaser and accidentally shot your bed," Jim says blithely.

"I promise you, I do know how to handle it," he drawls. "And I do mean it both ways."

"I was trying to be serious for once in my messy life," Jim sighs. He then leans up and kisses Leonard slowly, reveling in the taste and feel, the slow and pleased hum at the back of Leonard's throat. He wonders how long it'll be before he can have this again. "I'll be back in a year. I promise."

Leonard looks at him fondly but his smile is uncertain. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I'm keeping this one," Jim says fiercely. "Just watch."

* * *

* * *

Leonard McCoy is not counting.

_Eleven months and twelve days,_ he thinks while leaving Starfleet Medical.

He doesn't give the glorious setting sun over San Francisco Bay the time of day. He has more important things to do, like pack his belongings and sleep before reporting to the hangar at 0600 hours to board a shuttle back to the Enterprise.

In the aftermath of what Starfleet dubbed the Battle of New Asgard, the Enterprise was summoned back to Earth for another debriefing. It resulted in several Starfleet officers being commended and reprimanded for their actions while Kevin Riley was very nearly court martialed for his role in nearly destroying a Federation starship. Personally, Leonard thought it was a bunch of bull. To his great surprise, so did Spock. Nothing came of it anyway because both Jim and Riley were Tarsus IV survivors and Starfleet knew bad optics when it saw them.

Word spread about Cerberus and the presence of refugees from beyond the Milky Way. Realizing they could no longer control the story, the Federation Council formally welcomed the Skrulls and New Asgard to the Federation two months later. Brunnhilde, the king of New Asgard, came to San Francisco with a couple of the Einherjar and nobody else. 

"The Guardians showed up," she told Leonard later, after the meetings and ceremonies and celebrations ran their course. They were at a bar a couple blocks from Academy grounds, the same one where he ran into Jim after returning to Earth from a fateful encounter with the Narada. "They offered Loki a ride and Jim went with him. Heimdall's watching them both. They're fine."

Leonard sighed and took a long, long sip of his drink. "So he did go."

"He'll be back. He promised." She drained her glass and slammed it on the counter. "This was good. What else is there?"

Leonard looked at the long row of empty glasses of all shapes and sizes she'd put away. "Pretty sure you drank the whole bar." He turned to the bartender. "What else you got for the lady here, Cyrus?"

"Uh… how about a Finagle's Folly?"

Back in space, life settled back into the usual routine. Weeks of trekking between star systems and starbases were followed by away missions that either went spectacularly well or ended with Leonard scolding everyone while patching them up after their latest escapades.

Every now and then, they encountered a group of Skrulls voyaging around the Alpha Quadrant. Once, they extracted Hogun and his band of Asgardians from a dicey situation in the Omicron Delta region. They'd been trapped on a planet that could apparently read thoughts and turn them into reality.

"This is unnecessary, doctor," Hogun remarked later in the medbay while Leonard ran a scanner over him. The other Asgardians had already been cleared and dismissed. "Did you not hear that old man? The planet is but a playground. Nothing that happened was real-"

"Oh I heard him all right," Leonard retorted. "Sure as hell felt real when Rodriguez's tiger nearly ran me off a cliff. And _you_ were dead for fifteen minutes after shouting about Valhalla. I'm not sending you back to Brunnhilde until your whole crew is one hundred percent healthy and sound, and that includes _you_."

Hogun arched a thick eyebrow. "You address our king by her first name?"

"She never corrected me," he said defensively, feeling hot under the collar. "Besides, I'm a doctor. Don't give a good goddamn who or what you are in here or out there."

Hogun kept staring at him, then burst out laughing and slapped him too hard on the back. "You, my friend, are welcome to visit New Asgard anytime!"

Before the Enterprise dropped off their Asgardian guests at the nearest starbase, Hogun told Leonard that Jim was currently on Xandar in the Nova Empire. Leonard remembered what the Guardians said about the planet, the Kree, and an Infinity Stone. What answers would Xandar have for Jim? How far is it from the Federation, from the Enterprise, from him? 

Months passed and Jim was turning into a memory again. Leonard had been through this before and soldiered on, but he was no longer alone in his melancholy. Riley started seeking him out whenever their off-duty hours aligned; they didn't interact much during those few hours in the mess hall or the rec rooms, but Leonard appreciated their odd Jim-centric camaraderie.

The Enterprise has been docked at Starbase 1 above Earth for a retrofit for several weeks. Neither Pike nor Scott felt it necessary but Command had other ideas; tensions were rising again between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, and Command wasn't taking any chances. Leonard suspects what happened on Cerberus and the Battle of New Asgard is really responsible for Command's newfound paranoia and push towards retrofitting and arming every active Federation starship. He personally can't wait to see how the retrofit mangled his medbay and declared it an "improvement".

At the crosswalk, Leonard looks up at the building housing his apartment unit and then down the street. After a week of lectures on Klingon physiology and evolutionary adaptations, he could use a drink—or ten. Packing can wait. He crosses the street and walks two blocks to the local dive bar.

Two years on, the bar still isn't as crowded as it used to be, a painful reminder of the ongoing fallout from Nero's attack on the Federation. Leonard would expect the evening crowd to have spread itself out more. Almost everyone is at a booth or table, leaving almost every seat at the counter empty. One person sits there, sipping on a Cardassian Sunrise. Leonard takes another look and realizes why.

Everyone else keeps glancing surreptitiously at the newcomer, who's oblivious to the effect he's having on them. Cyrus stands at the far end of the counter, arranging and rearranging sterilized glasses while trying not to stare. The bemused bartender looks at Leonard, who's still standing frozen in the entryway.

Jim follows the bartender's gaze to Leonard. He's wearing utterly ordinary civilian clothing, a dark jacket and shirt and jeans, but he glows under the dim lights like a bright star. His blue eyes are as brilliant as ever and so is his smile.

"Hey, Bones."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes _this_ particular hot mess. Will make this public now that all chapters are posted and I'll soon have another copy up on Dreamwidth if it can handle the word count. 
> 
> If you're reading this, kudos for sticking around for this wild ass ride.


End file.
